Hook, Line, and Sinker
by Sailor Grape
Summary: HP.DM ..slash.. Everyone loves the holidays because love is bound to bloom. Each chapter is a different holiday in which Harry or Draco pursues the other in search of romance. Fifteenth holiday: Arbor Day! When trees embrace like lovers...
1. Christmas

Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker  
  
Author: GrapeSmshr  
  
Rated: G to PG-13, depending on the chapter  
  
Coupling: HP/DM slashy goodness  
  
Summary: H/D *slash* Everyone loves the holidays because love blooms. Each chapter is a different holiday in which Harry and Draco find romance. First holiday: Christmas!  
  
A/N: This is my first attempt at a fic full of nothing but free-standing chapters. Good thing about it is, you don't have to read the chapters in order! You can skip ahead to your favorite holiday because there's no timeline and the chapters aren't connected.  
  
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Holiday 1: Christmas  
  
Rated: G  
  
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Decorations of tinsel and holly streamed across the walls as the many trees were alight with multicolored glowing glass bulbs and real faeries. The Great Hall of Hogwarts was possibly the most beautiful sight Harry Potter had ever seen.  
  
It was Christmas Day, and the few students remaining for the holiday had just finished a wonderful dinner. After stuffing himself full of every food imaginable and some that was unimaginable, Harry decided to return to the Gryffindor common room.  
  
Harry was all prepared to spend the evening alone. This was the second year in a row in which he was the only Gryffindor staying behind. Surely he wouldn't go to the Dursleys'. While he had had several other invites, he just didn't want to intrude on anyone's family togetherness.  
  
So here he was, alone in the common room, sitting in front of the tree and sifting through the presents he had opened that morning. There was the standard Mrs. Weasley package, containing a load of sweets and a knitted jumper in a flattering shade of green. Beside those say a tin of treacle fudge from Hagrid, a new Quidditch book from Ron, and, surprisingly, a stylish silver hoop for his pierced ear from Hermione. Harry had just about died of shock when he found out her gift wasn't related to school in any way, but he was quite pleased with her selection.  
  
Chuckling at his thoughts, Harry turned his gaze to the pair of mismatched socks Dobby had made him. Dobby had really outdone himself this year. The left sock, a deep maroon, had little Dobby heads, while the right sock was gold with little Harry heads. They were the most hilarious socks Harry had ever seen, but he'd wear them for Dobby's sake.  
  
Shaking his head, Harry's eyes fell on a small black box. It hadn't been there earlier. Did an owl deliver it while he was at dinner? Gingerly picking up the box, Harry scrutinized it from every angle. It was just an ordinary black box with no tag of any kind.  
  
Curiously, Harry set the box in his lap and pulled off the lid, revealing a note. Taking a deep breath, he picked up the note and opened it. On the paper was a simple scrawl, bearing the words, "Follow me." Wrinkling his nose in confusion, he set the note aside and lifted the black cloth in the box to reveal... "A golden snitch?" Harry asked in surprise.  
  
As if hearing him, the snitch unfolded its tiny, birdlike wings and began fluttering about Harry's head before hovering near the open window.  
  
"Wait!" Harry cried as the snitch flew out into the quickly darkening sky. Rushing over to the window, Harry's seeker skills set into play as his eyes searched the air for any sign of the tiny gold ball.  
  
Then he spotted it. It was near the ground, directly below his window, and it was just hovering there. The note said to follow...  
  
Quickly throwing on his shoes and coat, Harry dashed out into the hallway and down the many flights of moving staircases. Luckily, everyone still seemed to be in the Great Hall for Christmas activities because Harry didn't run into a single person. That was good because he really didn't have time to explain himself. He had to catch that snitch before it took off without him.  
  
Finally making it outside, he immediately turned his eyes to where he had last seen the snitch. And there it was, just buzzing along at a leisurely pace. But as soon as Harry took a step toward it, it increased its speed and took off in the opposite direction.  
  
"Hey, come back!" Harry shouted as he broke into a sprint. It was only when he slipped and fell did he notice that the ground was covered in a nice layer of snow, and he was outside running in his school shoes. But there was no going back now. Harry wasn't about to lose that snitch!  
  
With a new determination, he ignored the impeding cold and took off after the ball, trailing it away from the school and down by the lake. It didn't seem to want to stop, and Harry was growing quite tired in the biting wind, but still he plowed on. They had now rounded the lake and were heading back to the other side when the snitch stopped, making Harry stop.  
  
He took a cautious step toward it, and it stayed put. Taking another step, he was surprised to see that the snitch still hadn't moved. Increasing his pace, Harry stopped just out of arm's reach. He didn't want to make the snitch take off again.  
  
Reaching out a hand, Harry inched his way forward, closer, closer, until he was so close his fingers brushed against the fluttering wings. Just a little bit further...  
  
Just before he could grasp it, a pale hand shot out and closed around the golden ball, halting its fluttering. Harry stood frozen as he watched the owner of the hand step out from behind a tree.  
  
"Malfoy?" he asked incredulously.  
  
"Potter," Draco Malfoy greeted with a sardonic smile. His lips were pale pink, as were his cheeks from the chilling winds. He was bundled up in a long coat, complete with scarf, gloves, and snow shoes, yet he still looked to be cold. Maybe it was just the pale complexion. Lively silver eyes were fringed by pale, frosted lashes, and those mysterious orbs were focused on one Harry Potter. Harry retracted his statement from early. *This* was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.   
  
Breaking their locked stare, Harry piped up, "I was just--"  
  
"Chasing the snitch? I noticed," Draco interrupted as he released the snitch, and it flew around his head a few times before landing back on his open palm. "Really, it's a wonder how you became a seeker. Sure took you long enough." He said this with a tiny snort of laughter, but it wasn't derisive. In fact, it was just normal teasing, and this fact threw Harry for a loop.  
  
"You? You were the one to send this to me?" he asked in obvious surprise, eyes going wide.  
  
With one fluid motion, Draco had tossed the snitch to Harry. "Yes."  
  
"But why?"  
  
The blonde heaved a long-suffering sigh, closing his eyes for a moment. Then he looked at Harry and answered, "I sent the snitch anonymously because I didn't think you would have talked to me otherwise." His voice never wavered, and neither his voice nor his eyes betrayed any emotion. He just stood there, waiting for Harry to speak.  
  
But Harry was speechless. Draco had wanted to talk to him? From the look of things, he didn't think this was leading up to some sort of prank. For the past year, the Slytherin had been pretty subdued, both towards Harry and the world in general. Then again, most people had changed after the wars.  
  
He didn't quite know what to make of Draco's words. He wondered why the blonde wanted to talk to him in the first place. He wondered why Draco thought he--Harry--wouldn't talk to him. He wondered why he even cared what got Draco to want to talk to him!  
  
For the past year, Harry had been having not-so-platonic feelings toward his Slytherin rival. It had taken quite a while for Harry to sort out of his feelings and even longer for him to stop denying them.  
  
Harry wasn't stupid enough to believe he was in love with Draco. That wasn't saying he wouldn't like the opportunity to be. It was just difficult to act on one-sided feelings. But now...  
  
Snapping out of his thoughts, Harry realized that Draco as waiting for a reply. Shifting on his feet, he pointed out, "But you didn't even *try* talking to me, sans the insult matches. I might have wanted to talk."  
  
"Would you have?"  
  
Was it Harry's imagination, or did he detect the faintest glimmer of hope in Draco's question? At this point, he was getting a bit scared because his brain was entertaining new possibilities, possibilities that may have been founded on assumptions and sheer wishfulness. If he were brave, he would just ask outright, but he wasn't, so he didn't. Whose bloody idea was it to put him in Gryffindor, anyway?  
  
"I guess that's a no?" Draco asked, taking Harry's silence as an answer.  
  
And this time the disappointment was evident in those silvery eyes. As Draco turned to leave, Harry panicked. This might be his one and only chance to tell the Slytherin what he had been wanting to for quite a while. "Wait!" he cried, reaching out a hand and clasping it on Draco's arm.  
  
Draco whipped around, studying Harry intently, who grew a bit uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the gaze.  
  
"I would like--I would like to hear what you have to say, Malfoy." How he managed to say that without his voice trembling, he didn't know. Glancing down, he realized that his hand was still on Draco's arm, and he quickly removed it.  
  
"Draco."  
  
"Huh?" Harry turned his attention back to the blonde. All of the disappointment and anything else that had been lurking in those eyes had been replaced with sheer determination.  
  
"I would like for you to call me Draco," he repeated. "Actually, you can call me whatever the bloody hell you want. I don't care. Just as long as you call me something."  
  
Harry's mind was reeling impossibly fast at Draco's reply. The implication was there. The underlying meaning was there. But Harry had hoped for too long, and he needed to hear the words. "What are you--"  
  
Draco took a step closer to Harry, his expression soft. "I like you, Harry Potter," he confessed quietly. "More than you know. And I know that--"  
  
"I like you, too."  
  
Now it was Draco's turn to be stumped. "What?" he asked dumbly, jaw dropping open in disbelief.  
  
"I like you, too," Harry repeated as a warmth began to spread all over his body. Draco Malfoy liked him back! He never would have guessed, but now he didn't have to. It was evident in the blonde's eyes, as well as confusion that clouded the stormy orbs.  
  
"I don't think you quite get it," Draco tried to explain in frustration, waving his hands emphatically. "I'm not talking along the lines of friendship. I'm talking about--"  
  
His argument was lost as Harry's mouth descended upon his own, effectively making Draco forget what he was about to say. He only drew a hand up to lightly rest on Harry's shoulder as their lips met over and over again, each time growing in barely contained passion.  
  
With one last lingering kiss, Harry nuzzled the side of Draco's face before whispering in his ear, "I think I get it."  
  
Pulling away just far enough to look into Harry's eyes, Draco murmured, "I think you've got it, too." Then he smiled softly, his first real smile in years. "This is the best Christmas gift I've ever received."  
  
"I know how you feel," Harry agreed, shivering unconsciously in the cold. He glanced up just in time for little white flakes of snow to land on his already freezing nose. "Maybe we should head back in."  
  
Grabbing one end of his scarf and draping it around Harry's neck also, Draco pulled the teen tightly against his own body. "Don't worry; I'll keep you warm," he grinned, lips brushing across Harry's ear ever so gently. With a contented sigh, he pressed their foreheads together. "Happy Christmas, Harry."  
  
"Happy Christmas, Draco."  
  
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Aww... I've been wanting to do a Christmas fic for a while. And then I got to thinking... I love reading fics about holidays. That's when I decided to start this project. There just aren't a lot of holiday fics out there, so hopefully this will remedy that. Oh! If you have a fave holiday (must pertain to most countries as a whole, so don't go suggesting the 4th of July or anything), let me know, and I'll see what I can do! I already have three other holidays written, and I'm working on another. Please review! I love my reviews. They keep me motivated! 


	2. Saint Patrick's Day

Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker  
  
Author: GrapeSmshr  
  
Rated: G to PG-13, depending on the chapter  
  
Coupling: HP/DM slashy goodness  
  
Updates: every Friday. If you want a reminder, leave me your e-mail addy in a review.  
  
Summary: H/D *slash* Everyone loves the holidays because love blooms. Each chapter is a different holiday in which Harry and Draco find romance. Second holiday: Saint Patrick's Day!  
  
A/N: I think this is my favorite holiday out of all the ones I have written so far. In fact, I think out of all the H/D fics I've written, I like this chapter more than anything else. Any of you who've read my other fics might see why...  
  
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Holiday 2: Saint Patrick's Day  
  
Rated: PG-13  
  
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Night just seemed to go on forever! Harry Potter tossed and turned until dawn, the quasi-insomnia due to anticipation and nervousness of the upcoming day. And it would be a good day indeed if all went as well as he had planned it to.  
  
His wonderful friend Hermione Granger had helped him come up with this brilliant plan. He loved the way her mind worked. Her brain was sheer wisdom with just the right amount of twisted wickedness.  
  
Finally stirring from his light sleep, Harry was relieved to see that he was the first one awake. Taking a quick shower, he returned to his room and opened the bottom drawer of his bureau, rummaging around until he found what he had buried there. Taking a deep breath, he got dressed, robes and all, and went down into the common room.  
  
About fifteen minutes later, the first of the Gryffindors started making an appearance. Among them was Ron Weasley, Harry's other best friend. He came directly over to where Harry was sitting, stared at him for a minute, then pinched his arm.  
  
"Ouch! You didn't have to do that so hard," Harry complained, rubbing the tender red spot.  
  
"Sorry, mate, but you asked for it," Ron chuckled. "No green. Eyes don't count."  
  
"And you?"  
  
Ron lifted the hem of his too-short trousers to reveal moss green socks. "Mum knitted them for me for occasions like these."  
  
"Lucky you," Harry muttered. If this was what he'd have to put up with all day, then maybe he'd better forget about his grand idea.  
  
But at that moment, Hermione came into the room, and he remembered the wonderful pep talk she had given him the night before. No, he was going to go through with this.  
  
"Morning," Hermione greeted them brightly as she sat down beside Harry. Her hair was braided with green ribbons woven in. She looked Ron over before spotting his green socks, then turned to Harry. "Sleep well?"  
  
"You're not going to pinch him? No green," Ron pointed out. He wasn't about to let any offenders get away today.  
  
"Oh, of course," she laughed lightly, pinching Harry's cheek softly as she leaned over and whispered in his ear, "You ready for today?"  
  
He nodded imperceptibly as another throng of loudly talking Gryffindors came downstairs. At the rear of the group was Seamus Finnigan, and Harry's mouth dropped open when he saw the Irish teen.  
  
Seamus was wearing his robes, which were now covered in very green and very much real shamrocks. But that wasn't the most shocking part. His hair was green! Not just a green tint, but a deep green that matched the shamrocks.  
  
"It's charmed to stay green all day no matter what," Seamus explained proudly as he saw the trio staring. "You like?"  
  
Shaking his head in amusement, Harry said, "It's you, Seamus."  
  
Seamus beamed, then walked over and pinched Harry's thigh. "And you, my dear, are not wearing any green. Eyes don't count, you know."  
  
"I know," Harry grumbled, growing a bit irritated at being pinches three times before he ever left the common room. At this rate, he'd be a walking bruise by the end of the day. "Let's head to breakfast."  
  
On the way to the Great hall, Harry lost count of how many times he had been pinched, by Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs alike. Apparently the Slytherins didn't want to participate in the fun of Saint Patrick's Day. Harry guessed that it just wasn't as exciting for them since one of their House colors was green.  
  
At breakfast, Harry was relieved that most of the students were more preoccupied with eating than with scouting out potential victims. Seamus, however, had taken it upon himself to pinch Harry a myriad of times to make up for everyone else's lacking to do so. Finally Hermione had taken pity on her battered friend and ordered Seamus to stop with the maniacal pinching.  
  
"Serves you right for not wearing green, mate," Ron scolded through a mouthful of eggs. "Should've known better."  
  
Exchanging an amused glance with Hermione, Harry ignored Ron's comment and turned his attention to the Slytherin table. Eyes roaming over its occupants, he finally stopped on Draco Malfoy.  
  
It was no secret that Harry had a crush on Draco. All right, so it *was* a secret. Harry wasn't about to let the entire school know before he let said crush know. But hopefully, by the end of the day, all would be out in the open.  
  
Finishing their breakfast, the trio made their way to the dungeons for a rousing Potions lesson. For the first time in his seven years of schooling at Hogwarts, Harry was looking forward to Potions. It wasn't because he liked the class, and he definitely didn't like Professor Snape. It was because, like the six years before, the Gryffindors had Potions with the Slytherins. And Harry just so happened to be partnered with a certain pale-complexioned blonde.  
  
They were among the last students to reach the classroom. With an encouraging smile from Hermione, Harry made his way to the back of the room and began pulling books from his bag.  
  
The blonde sitting beside him smirked. He was the embodiment of aristocracy and anything that smelled of money. His gaze was focused on Harry, and Harry could feel those silvery eyes rake over him. He felt exposed, like Draco suddenly knew what Harry had in store, but he couldn't possibly know. Breathing deeply, Harry stared straight ahead and waiting for Draco to make the first move.  
  
Snorting, Draco said haughtily, "Idiot Gryffindorks, all dressed up and looking more stupid than usual."  
  
Facing the blonde, Harry answered, "You're just upset because you can't participate. You're already wearing green, so you have no excuse to be festive."  
  
Shaking his head, Draco tsked in response. "As usual, you're wrong, big surprise. Unlike the other Slytherins, I happen to like this holiday. Any day that gives you free license to pinch people is good. Speaking of which, I see that you're not wearing any green." He reached over to pinch Harry's arm.  
  
Harry reached up and deftly caught Draco's wrist, startling him. "I'm sorry, but you don't get that privilege. I *am* wearing green." He let Draco's hand go.  
  
"Green eyes don't count," Draco reminded him.  
  
"I know. I'm not talking about my eyes."  
  
"Then where? Show me the green you're wearing," Draco demanded, crossing his arms in front of his chest.  
  
Shaking his head, Harry answered, "No. Class is about to start."  
  
Before Draco could protest, Professor Snape entered the room. He gave everyone a once-over, snorting at the green-toting Gryffindors, then dove right into their notes.  
  
All throughout the morning, Harry could feel Draco's eyes on him, no doubt trying to guess where Harry's green article of clothing was. The intense staring almost made Harry blush a few times, but he reminded himself that nonchalance was a part of the plan, and he wasn't about to mess it up, not when things were going wonderfully so far.  
  
Decidedly, the best part of class was when Draco had gone to the front cabinet to get an ingredient for their potion. He had glanced back at Harry, who pretended to drop something and slowly bent over to pick said nonexistent item up. Draco was staring so intently that he had dropped the jar of toad eyes and sent them sprawling across the floor, where Lavender brown slipped on one and fell into the slime puddle with a squishy plop. She had been excused to get cleaned up, and Draco, for the first time ever, Harry suspected, had gotten yelled at by Snape.  
  
When he returned to their table, he had murder in his eyes. "Not a word, Potter," he seethed through gritted teeth as Harry tried desperately not to smile.  
  
After class, Harry and Ron bid farewell to Hermione and began their trek to Divination. Before they even made it out of the dungeons, Draco grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him back forcefully. "Where's your green?" he growled. "We're not in class now."  
  
"You're right, but Ron and I need to dash to Divination. See you later, Malfoy," Harry said pleasantly as he yanked his arm back and pushed a confused Ron up the stairs and away from the fuming blonde.  
  
"What was that about?" Ron wanted to know. He always thought Malfoy acted strange most of the time, but that was bizarre, even for him.  
  
"I'll tell you later," Harry promised. If there was anything to tell...  
  
The rest of the morning passed fairly quickly, and Harry soon found himself back in the Great Hall for lunch. All morning he had put up with being pinched left and right, but it would be well worth it. He glanced across the room to the Slytherin table, where his eyes met two stormy gray orbs. Even from so far away, Harry could see the standard Malfoy pride, the anger from Potions that morning, but most prominent was the desire to know just what Harry had on under his robes. Harry smirked at the blonde, who scowled and averted his gaze.  
  
Ron, who had been quiet during this little show, felt the need to speak up. "Harry, what's going on between you and Malfoy?"  
  
"Nothing." Then he added under his breath, "Yet."  
  
Now, Ron was not stupid by any means. He noticed the stares in Potions. And that scene afterwards... And here they were, staring again. He was aware that Harry was not attracted to the female persuasion and that he never really showed interest in anyone.  
  
Until now. While Ron was not Draco's biggest fan, he did love his best friend and wanted him to be happy. So whatever plan Harry had cooked up to snag the blonde, Ron hoped he succeeded. Leaning over towards Harry, he whispered, "Good luck snagging Malfoy."  
  
Harry turned to Ron, wide-eyed. "You know?"  
  
"It was a bit obvious. Only to me," he added hastily at Harry's bewildered look.  
  
"What was obvious?" Hermione asked as she took a seat across from them.  
  
Still wide-eyed, Harry told her, "I think I had Ron's approval."  
  
Hermione grinned. "Really? Fantastic!" She stood, leaned across the table, and grabbed Ron's chin, kissing him thoroughly. She sat back down to a myriad of whistles and clapping from the other Gryffindors.  
  
Once he snapped out of his daze, Ron declared, "I should've been more supportive a long time ago!"  
  
This elicited laughter from the other two.  
  
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Ron," Harry apologized with a sheepish smile. "It's just that, I know you're not exactly fond of him, and I didn't want to stir up any trouble between us."  
  
"Well, none was shaken or stirred. You deserve to be happy like everyone else, mate. Do what needs to be done."  
  
"Thanks, Ron. I intend to."  
  
As lunch ended, they joined the throng of students in the hallway who were lingering in the last minutes before afternoon classes began. Turning a corner, they were surprised to see Professor Dumbledore pinching a Ravenclaw who was not wearing green.  
  
"It seems everyone gets into the holiday," Ron muttered as he snickered at the large green shamrock dangling from the tip of Dumbledore's hat.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore," Harry greeted the headmaster as he approached.  
  
"Ah, Harry. Shamrocks and nimble fingers to you. What a great day," Dumbledore beamed at them, eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles. He looked at the three. "But each of you are safe today. Maybe next year..."  
  
"Each of us? But Harry's not wearing green," Ron said, confused.  
  
"Green eyes don't count," Harry reiterated what everyone had been telling him.  
  
"I know," Dumbledore answered pointedly to Harry, eyes twinkling brighter than usual. At Harry's blush, he shooed them off. "Better get to class now."  
  
Tossing distracted goodbyes behind them, they made their way to History of Magic.  
  
"What was he going on about back there?" Ron wondered aloud as they took their seats among the other Gryffindors and the Slytherins.  
  
"He's Dumbledore; who knows?" Harry shrugged, praying to Merlin that his blush had faded. No one questioned him, so it must have.  
  
And no one had a chance to, either. At that moment, Professor Binns floated in through the door and began another boring lecture in his monotone.  
  
It didn't take long for Harry to tune the droning voice out. He rarely paid attention in this class because he didn't have to. Hermione always took notes, and he always found some way to make her feel guilty so she'd share. Either that or he'd bother her until she grew frustrated and just threw her notes at him. It was a great system.  
  
"Psst, Harry," Ron whispered, nudging him. "A note for you."  
  
Taking the note from Ron, Harry hid it underneath the table. It was a simple piece of parchment, folded in half twice and bearing his name in nondescript handwriting. Curiously, he unfolded the note and read, 'Hey Potter, what's under the robes?'  
  
Raising an eyebrow, Harry met Draco's gaze from across the room. The blonde mirrored Harry's facial expression as he waited for a reply. Turning back to the parchment, Harry scrawled underneath the question, 'You're not stupid. Figure it out.' Then he folded the note three times, wrote Draco's name on it, and passed it back to Ron, who passed it along until Draco once again had possession of it. He skimmed over Harry's words and then looked up, grinning wickedly.  
  
Harry's heart skipped a beat. He never expected everything to fall into place so perfectly. Now there was only one part left of the plan, and it was up to Draco.  
  
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The next thing Harry knew, afternoon classes and dinner were over. He'd managed to avoid being pinched by a myriad of people, most likely because they were looking forward to their next two days off. The weekend usually brought a sense of craziness out among the students. Harry knew exactly how they felt.  
  
And it was doubled for him because of the holiday. He had to admit, Saint Patrick's Day was usually just another day for him. But not this year. No, this year he had taken the initiative and set his plan into motion. All right, so none of it would have been started had it not been for the not-so-gentle nudging from Hermione, but that wasn't the point. The point was--  
  
He never got to finish the thought because a pair of hands reached out and forcefully pulled him into a room. Harry immediately recognized the prefects' bathroom, then turned around to face his assailant.  
  
He found himself face-to-face with none other than Draco, who wore his trademark smirk as he cast a locking spell on the door. "Now, Potter, I believe we have some... unfinished business to attend to?"  
  
"Business? And here I though this was all in fun." Harry teased, somehow managing to stop himself from blushing. But he froze when he met Draco's eyes. They were dark and getting darker, and Harry could practically see lightning flashing in them they were burning so deeply. A rush of exhilarated panic overtook Harry's body, and he gave a muted gasp as Draco was suddenly directly in front of him.  
  
Eyes still locked with Harry's, Draco raised his pale hands and placed them on Harry's shoulders, sliding them down until his palms were flat against the Gryffindor's chest.  
  
Struggling to speak, Harry asked in a trembling voice, "What are you doing?"  
  
"I'm figuring it out."  
  
Bringing his hands together, Draco began to unbutton Harry's robes, then slowly pushed the material off his tensed shoulders so that the black garment pooled at their feet. Underneath was the standard Hogwarts uniform: black trousers, white shirt with tie, and gray jumper vest. "One layer down," Draco muttered before resuming his task.  
  
Reaching down, Draco grabbed the hem of Harry's jumper, tugging it upwards. Harry raised his arms so that the garment could slip off over his head with ease. He was more than happy for his magically corrected vision. Getting everything caught on his glasses would have really ruined the moment.  
  
Once the jumper was off, Draco reached up and unloosened the gold and red striped tie, unknotting it and tugging on one end so that it slowly slid from around Harry's neck. As the tie joined the other clothes at their feet, Draco murmured, "No green yet." Not Harry was down to the basic shirt, trousers, and shoes. With a deep breath and bated anticipation, Draco continued on.  
  
Harry watched as Draco's hands reached the top button of his shirt, and he was shocked to see that the pale hands were trembling. He was just itching to help the blonde out, but this was Draco's show now. It was all him, and it was Harry's turn to sit back and enjoy.  
  
And enjoy he did.  
  
Fumbling clumsily with the uncooperating buttons, Draco cursed the proper upbringing that bound him to stay calm and collected when all he wanted to do was rip the shirt off of Harry's body. But since that was out of the question, he finished the painstakingly long task of unbuttoning every one of those blasted buttons. Finally getting the last one, Draco pulled the shirt open.  
  
He couldn't help it. Draco's eyes were drawn to the expanse of tanned skin that stood out against the stark white cotton shirt. Harry's body was absolutely flawless. Smooth skin gave way to perfectly sculpted muscles. His hip bone was just barely defined above the low-slung waist of Harry's trousers.  
  
No longer able to just look, Draco's hands started on Harry's flat stomach and roamed up to his chest, lingering for a moment before continuing up to his shoulders. His hands moved under the shirt as he pushed it off of Harry's shoulders, the material bunching at his elbows. Not willing to leave any patch of skin covered, Draco unbuttoned the cuffs and pulled the sleeves off of Harry's arms.  
  
Harry really was a masterpiece, in Draco's opinion. His tanned, perfectly shaped body should have been in a museum. But Draco was selfish, and he wanted this heavenly vision all to himself.  
  
Sucking in a breath, Harry closed his eyes as Draco's hands once again began their exploration. He felt cool fingers everywhere, trailing across his sides, tracing the veins on his wrists, following the curve of his collarbone, sliding down his back.  
  
With each second of contact, he wanted to scream. His body was humming with energy. If Draco didn't move on soon, Harry was going to abandon his plan and just ravish the blonde then and there. He shivered as a puff of warm air blew across his ear. He could feel Draco's body heat, not quite touching his own skin but close enough to drive Harry mad. He nearly whimpered when Draco whispered right against his ear, "Still no green. Guess we have to try... south."  
  
Moving so that he was once again facing Harry, Draco unbuckled Harry's belt and pulled it until it was on the floor. Those shaking hands were now settled atop the Gryffindor's waistband. Unclasping the trousers, Draco slowly undid the zipper. His eyes had been on Harry's face, watching the raven-haired teen's expressions contort with each touch. He could tell that Harry was enjoying this just as much as he was, and that fact alone was enough to drive him wild.  
  
He watched as Harry's eyes suddenly opened, and Draco couldn't help but stare. They were so large, so vividly green and unfocused, and they were darkened with lust. No doubt they were a reflection of the emotions in Draco's own eyes.  
  
Wrenching his gaze away, Draco slowly began to slide the black trousers from Harry's hips. Ever so slowly, inch by inch, the material slid further down, revealing more black. As the trousers now pooled around Harry's shoe-clad feet, Draco's eyes were wide, jaw dropped at the sight in front of him.  
  
Harry was wearing a black thong, and Draco had never seen an article of clothing look so desirable on another person, himself included. Perfect body? Yes. Beautiful structure? Absolutely. Self-control? Barely contained. Draco was ready to devour him on the spot. But he was still on a mission...  
  
Leaning forward so that they were practically nose to nose, Draco grinned. "I think I've figured it out." Hand falling to Harry's hip, his fingers brushed against a small green shamrock embroidered on the black material, embellished with the words, "Pinch me." Hand sliding around, Draco pinched the firm flesh of Harry's backside just as his mouth swallowed the gasp that Harry omitted.  
  
Arms wrapping around the blonde, Harry returned the feverish kisses with equal fervor, each one deepening with intensity until he felt like bursting. While this was what he had hoped for, it was a million times better than what he had expected it to be. He wanted to always have Draco's arms around him. He always wanted these kisses. He wanted the moment to last forever. He wanted--  
  
In an attempt to step closer to the blonde, Harry's feet got tangled in his trousers, and he tipped over, taking Draco with him. They landed side by side on the hard tiled floor, each chuckling. "Should've removed the shoes," Harry told Draco in all seriousness.  
  
"Guess so," Draco shook his head with an amused smile. "Well, it took me a while, but I figured it out."  
  
"It did take a while," Harry agreed, gently rubbing two fingers back and forth across Draco's thigh.  
  
The blonde was silent for a moment before saying, "You know, this inspired me to be festive next year." He met Harry's gaze. "Then it'll be your turn to figure it out."  
  
Grinning wickedly, Harry pinched Draco's thigh. "You're on."  
  
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If only *all* holidays could end up that way... Steamy, right? I don't even know where this idea came from, but I just *had* to write it! I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please review! I love my reviews almost as much as I love my HP books (believe me, that's a hell of a lot of love)! 


	3. Valentine's Day

Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker  
  
Author: GrapeSmshr  
  
Rated: G to PG-13, depending on the chapter  
  
Coupling: HP/DM slashy goodness  
  
Updates: every Friday. If you want a reminder, leave me your e-mail addy in a review.  
  
Summary: H/D *slash* Everyone loves the holidays because love blooms. Each chapter is a different holiday in which Harry and Draco find romance. Third holiday: Valentine's Day!  
  
A/N: I've read some really cute Valentine's Day fics. It was a bit difficult coming up with an idea that hasn't been used before, but I think I pulled it off. This part is one huge piece of fluff. Enjoy!  
  
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Holiday 3: Valentine's Day  
  
Rated: G  
  
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"It's the latest from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes!"  
  
Harry Potter eyed Ron Weasley with a mixture of amusement, skepticism, and more than slight hesitation. Harry knew how the minds of Fred and George Weasley worked, and he wasn't too keen on being a guinea pig to test their products--literally. One of their experimental sweets had turned Ron and him into guinea pigs. It had taken the twins almost an hour to figure out how to change them back. Harry shuddered just thinking about it.  
  
"Harry?" Ron poked Harry in the side, erasing his spaced-out expression. "I know what you're thinking, but these have been tested." At Harry's disbelieving look, Ron sighed and continued, "You can ask Ginny. These are safe."  
  
Upon hearing this, Harry relaxed some. He knew Ginny was just as wary of the twins' joke products as he and Ron were, so if she approved, then he would trust that Ron wasn't offering him something that would turn him into a giant flobberworm or something of the like. "All right, you've sparked my curiosity. What did they make now?"  
  
"These." Ron tossed a small bag to Harry, who expertly caught it. "Heart's Desires."  
  
Harry looked over the package. It was white, with pink and red hearts all over it. In the bag was what looked like Muggle conversation hearts. Turning curiously to his friend, he asked, "What's so special about a bunch of Muggle candy hearts?"  
  
"They're bewitched is what. There's a place on the bag for the name of the person you want to give them to, and the hearts have a spell that can read your feelings toward that person. Then the hearts, which are blank, get writing on them that convey those feelings. Here, watch."  
  
Ron held up a bag in which the hearts were blank. With his quill, he quickly scrawled the name 'Harry Potter' on the bag, then gave it to Harry.  
  
Holding up the bag, Harry was amazed as writing appeared on the little hearts. "Harry's my best friend," Harry read from one. A yellow heart next to it said, "Braver than anyone." Harry grinned at this, turning the bag over. As he read another heart, he frowned. "No fashion sense?" he asked, looking up at Ron's guilty face.  
  
"Hehe, must've been a messed up bag," Ron said as he hastily grabbed it back. "I really think Fred and George outdid themselves with these."  
  
"They did," Harry agreed. "But these aren't exactly joke candies, so why are they making them?"  
  
Waving his hand with a flourish, Ron explained, "They know that Valentine's Day is one of the most popular holidays here at school, and they figured they could make some money. Bloody brilliant, if you ask me."  
  
There was no arguing with that. Harry knew just how crazy everyone got around the holiday. A candy that could tell the feelings of people too flustered or shy to do so themselves would no doubt be a hit. "They'd make tons of money from these," Harry thought aloud.  
  
"That's what they're counting on," Ron said. "And since Valentine's Day is tomorrow, I'm going to go and try to sell as many of these as possible. Since you're my best friend, I'll let you have a couple. How many do you want?" He started pulling bags out of a large box sitting next to him on his bed.  
  
"I'll just keep this one, thanks," Harry held up the bag Ron had given him.  
  
Ron stared at him a moment, then shrugged. "Suit yourself." He dropped the bags back in the box and hoisted it up. "I'm off to make some money." He disappeared out of the dorm.  
  
Absently flipping the bag over and over in his hands, Harry knew there was only one name he would write on the bag of candies. Even then, he wasn't sure he'd have the courage to give the hearts to said person. After all, it wasn't every day that a person fell in love with his sworn enemy of almost seven years.  
  
With a burst of determination, Harry grabbed a quill, dipped it in his inkwell, and on the bag wrote the name 'Draco Malfoy' in bold calligraphy. Before he had a chance to see what the hearts said, he heard laughter and footsteps pounding up the stairs. Harry quickly tossed the candy into his book bag and lay back against his pillows with his arms folded under his head, trying to make it look like he wasn't up to anything suspicious.  
  
"Fred and George did it again," Seamus Finnigan announced in delight as he entered the dorm, followed by Dean Thomas. Each were carrying a good half-dozen bags and grinning from ear to ear. "A candy that can express your innermost feelings. Oh, the possibilities..." His bright eyes had an evil glint.  
  
First the twins, then Seamus? Harry was almost afraid to ask, but curiosity got the best of him. "Possibilities? For what?"  
  
"Just wait until Potions tomorrow. Then you'll know what I'm talking about." Seamus rubbed his hands together in anticipation of the upcoming day.  
  
Knowing that the Irish teen would divulge no more information than that, Harry decided to let the matter rest. Besides, the next day was almost upon them, and he had no choice but to wait. Bidding his two Housemates goodnight, Harry closed the curtain around his bed and settled in for the night.  
  
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It was obvious that Valentine's Day was upon them. The Great Hall was decorated with hearts in various shades of pink and red, and confetti fell from the ceiling but never touched the ground. Everywhere one looked, couples could be seen holding hands, sharing kisses, and squealing over gifts, especially Heart's Desires. It seemed Fred and George really had known what students would buy, and buy they did. Ron had sold every last one of the bags that he had been sent.  
  
Well, almost every one. Harry's bag was still tucked securely in his school bag amongst his books and other items. He wasn't about to let it out of his sigh.  
  
Which was why it was currently flying behind him as he made a mad dash for the kitchens. For whatever reason, he had slept in and didn't make it to breakfast. He wanted to grab something to eat really fast before Potions. Tickling the green pear in the fruit painting, it shrieked in laughter before turning into a handle. Opening the painting in door-like fashion, Harry hurried in. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one in a hurry because as soon as the painting slammed behind him, he slammed into Dobby. The force sent him sprawling, along with the contents of his school bag.  
  
"Harry Potter!" Dobby gasped as he picked himself up off the floor. "Dobby is sorry, Harry Potter! Dobby is not watching where he is walking--"  
  
"It's all right, Dobby," Harry interrupted the blubbering house-elf. He was on his knees, picking up his books, scrolls of parchment, and scattered quills. Securing his bag on his shoulder again, Harry stood and said to Dobby, "I actually came down here to get something to eat really fast."  
  
Eyes lighting up, Dobby stepped forward. "What would Harry Potter like? Porridge and strawberries? Or perhaps mince pies?"  
  
Laughing, Harry held up a hand. "I was actually thinking along the lines of a muffin."  
  
"Muffins?" Dobby squeaked, and several other house-elves rushed forward with platters of the tiny pastries.  
  
"Uh, thank you." Harry grabbed a couple of muffins off one of the platters. The house-elves bowed and then scampered off again. "I better get to class. Thanks, Dobby."  
  
"So long, Harry Potter. Come and visit Dobby soon!" Dobby called as Harry waved at him before disappearing out the door.  
  
Munching on the muffins as he ran, Harry managed to make it to Potions on time. He plopped down in his seat next to Ron, taking out his notes and book before tossing his bag to the floor.  
  
"Where were you, mate? You missed breakfast," Ron asked Harry.  
  
"That's because someone let me sleep in," Harry answered in annoyance.  
  
Before Ron could reply, the door burst open and in walked Professor Snape. His usual scowl looked more scowly this morning, and Harry wondered back to what Seamus had said the night before.  
  
"These," Snape said in a low, calculating voice, "were left on my desk earlier." He was clutching a bag of Heart's Desires. "I will not tell you what they read, but let me assure you that I *will* find out who the guilty party is and see to it that they are properly punished." As he finished, his eyes landed on Harry as they narrowed in contempt.  
  
Harry glared back until Snape finally turned away, then he glanced back at Seamus, who looked over at him and winked.  
  
Turning to his desk to get his notes, Snape noticed another bag of candies waiting for him. "Ah, another student to be punished," he growled maliciously as he grabbed the bag. "Let's see what these say." Picking a random heart, he read aloud without thinking, "Snape is extremely sexy."  
  
There was a pause before laughter rang out all over the classroom. A couple of students threw out catcalls, much to Snape's horror. "Quiet!" he bellowed, effectively shutting the class up. Cheeks burning, he yelled, "Finish the potions you started yesterday! And no talking!"  
  
Exchanging amused glances, Harry and Ron got to work on their potion.  
  
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Heaving a sigh, Draco Malfoy trudged down the deserted hallway towards the kitchens. He really couldn't stand eating another meal in the Great Hall, not with all those annoyingly happy couples and cutesy decorations. That's why he decided to eat lunch by himself. At least this way he'd be able to keep his food down.  
  
All right, so he was a little bitter. He had spent every Valentine's Day of his life alone, and, quite frankly, he was sick of it. Even gorgeous bad boy evil types deserved love. Except Draco found himself in such a horribly ironic situation. He had a thing for his bitter enemy.  
  
So maybe 'thing' wasn't the right word. Every time said person walked into a room, Draco's heart lit up like an overdressed Christmas tree. However, being a Malfoy meant showing no emotions, so he didn't. Oh, how he sometimes hated his proper upbringing.  
  
Letting himself into the kitchens, he was greeted by a group of eager house-elves, who just as eagerly gave him a plate heaped with food and ushered him over to a table off to the side. With a shrug, Draco sat down and began to eat. But before the fork could even reach his mouth, his feet lightly kicked something, making a crinkling noise. Setting the fork back down, Draco reached under the table and wrapped his hand around the object he had kicked. Upon inspecting it, he saw that it was a bag of those candies everyone was giving out.  
  
He himself was currently toting a bag of them around. He'd never stoop so low as to buy one from Weasley. No, he had bought one off of Pansy, who had asked him who he planned on giving it to. After repeatedly dodging the question, he finally took to ignoring her until she went away. Honestly, it wasn't her business to know what he was going to do with the candies.  
  
Speaking of minding one's business... Draco's eyes scanned the bag. There was writing on the candies, so the bag was a gift for someone. Flipping the bag over, his eyes fell on the name of the recipient. When he found his own name staring back at him, he almost dropped the bag in shock. Someone was planning on giving him candies? He wondered what they said. Bringing the bag closer to his face, he read out loud, "I love you." Eyes wide, he read another one, then another, and another, until he was positive that they all said the same thing, and they did.  
  
Someone loved him?  
  
But who? Surely no one knew he would be in the kitchens, so the person must have dropped the bag by accident. Flagging over a house-elf, he asked him, "Do you know who dropped these?" he motioned to the candies.  
  
"I is never seeing that before," the house-elf answered apologetically.  
  
"Does anyone know?"  
  
"I is hearing Dobby is running into a student this morning."  
  
"Dobby, huh? Where is he?"  
  
Shaking his head vigorously, the house-elf said, "Dobby is cleaning rooms with the rest of breakfast crew. He is not being back before dinner." He bowed before running off.  
  
How helpful that was. It seemed Draco would have to figure out by himself who had dropped the candies. He really was impatient and didn't want to wait until dinner to question Dobby.  
  
Leaving the kitchens, he was suddenly struck with a horrifying thought. What if the candies were from some fifth-year Hufflepuff? Or even worse, a Gryffindor? But then the rational part of his brain kicked in as he reasoned that Hufflepuffs were much too thick to figure out how to get into the kitchens. The Gryffindors, on the other hand...  
  
Stopping in his tracks, he realized that the only Gryffindors he had ever run into in the kitchens was the wonder trio. That thought almost sent him into hyperventilation. What if it was one of them?  
  
He was fully convinced that it was. He didn't know why, but it was just a feeling he got. Studying the bag intently, Draco's eyes narrowed. The handwriting belonged to a male, most likely; the scrawl was pretty messy. Oh, Merlin. He knew it would never be from the Weasel, so that just left... He knew he had to be right about it, he just knew it.  
  
Heart thumping madly in his chest, he contemplated what he had to do. Well, if he wanted answers, he knew who he'd have to interrogate. So he set out to find one Hermione Granger.  
  
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Plopping himself down on the top step of the entranceway, Harry thanked Merlin that his friends hadn't wanted to eat lunch. He really wasn't looking forward to another meal in the Valentine's-coated Great Hall. All of the decorations were making him nauseous. Or maybe the thoughts he kept having about a certain blonde-haired someone were what churned his stomach. What if he gave Draco the bag of candies? What if he told the Slytherin how he felt?  
  
He would be laughed at, most likely, with being hexed into oblivion following in a close second. No, those candies would stay within the confines of his school bag.  
  
There was only one problem: he couldn't find them!  
  
Rummaging frantically through his bag, Harry found no trace of the candies. Pulling out his books and scrolls, he prayed that it was just lodged in a corner or buried under something. It wasn't.  
  
Mind reeling furiously, Harry went through his day, trying to think of when he could have possibly the bag. He had had his things with him all day, starting with breakfast.  
  
That was it! The candies must still be in the kitchens! Piling everything back into his school bag, he threw it over his shoulder and ran at breakneck speed to the kitchens.  
  
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Entering the library, Draco spotted Hermione at a table way in the back. Luckily, she was sitting all by herself, which meant he could interrogate her freely without having to get rid of anyone.  
  
Crossing the room, he stopped in front of the chair directly across from her. "Mind if I join you?" Not waiting for an answer, he sat down.  
  
"Can I help you with something, Malfoy?" Hermione asked. The question wasn't laced with anger or even loathing, but he could sense suspicion. That was understandable. He'd be scared if she *wasn't* suspicious.  
  
"Actually, you can. Do you have any of these?" he held up the bag of Heart's Desires.  
  
"Don't tell me you're selling those," she said incredulously. "Because if you are, I'll tell you right now that I don't want any. I already have some."  
  
"So... you didn't lose any?"  
  
She eyed him warily, still wondering where this conversation was leading. "No, I didn't lose any. Why?"  
  
"No reason." At least, no reason he cared to share with her. He just wanted to make sure she hadn't dropped them. And since she was such a horrible liar, he knew that she was telling the truth. One down...  
  
"Do you know where Potter was during breakfast?" That morning he had noted Harry's absence; how could he not, when it was a daily ritual for his gaze to meander over to the Gryffindor table in search of the Boy Wonder?  
  
"You noticed that Harry wasn't there?" Hermione's lips quirked in amusement. That was almost as funny as Snape's expression after he had read those hearts she had left for him. Almost.  
  
Scowling at her, Draco answered snottily, "A good wizard always knows the whereabouts of his enemies."  
  
Rolling her eyes, Hermione humored him. "He overslept and grabbed some breakfast in the kitchens before Potions."  
  
Draco had to fight to keep the grin off of his face. He was right! Harry had been the one to drop the candies! That meant...  
  
"Do you know where Potter is right now?"  
  
"Why?" she demanded more than a little sharply. She was fiercely protective of Harry. Even if he was in love with Draco, she still didn't quite know what to make of the blonde. And she'd be damned if she let her best friend be hurt.  
  
Growling in frustration, Draco burst out, "Please, Granger, just tell me where he is! I need to talk to him."  
  
Hermione was completely floored. Not only did Draco Malfoy say please, to her, even, but he also used her surname instead of an insult. He must desperately want to talk to Harry. Hermione had a feeling she knew what he wanted to say, too. Always the observer, she had noticed the fleeting glances and less hostile attitudes coming from the Slytherin when he was around Harry. Well, who was she to stand in the way of a potential romance? "I believe he said something about the Astronomy tower."  
  
The Astronomy tower? He'd have to hurry, then, so he could catch up with the Gryffindor before they both had to go to class. "Thanks," he said absently to Hermione, who had already turned back to her schoolwork.  
  
Shocked, Hermione snapped her head up to stare at Draco, but he was already gone.  
  
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Sitting miserably on a bench in the Astronomy tower, Harry cursed his luck. He had rushed to the kitchens only to find the candies gone. Much to his horror, he found out from a house-elf that Draco had found the bag of candies he had lost. Out of all of the people in the school, why was Draco the one to be there? Really, what were the odds?  
  
He did have a brief fleeting hope that nothing would come of it, that Draco would just let it be. But then he snapped back to reality. Never in a million years would the blonde just leave a bag of candies anonymously addressed to him, bearing Harry's innermost feelings about him. What exactly did those hearts say, anyway?  
  
Head in his hands, Harry wondered how long he would have to wait before something happened.  
  
"Potter."  
  
Apparently not very long.  
  
Slowly raising his head, eyes revealing nothing, Harry met the blonde's gaze. "Malfoy," he acknowledged coolly. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Looking for you, actually. Granger tipped me off to your whereabouts." Draco took a step closer so that he was only mere feet from the Gryffindor. He suddenly found himself very nervous, and for good reason. He was about to risk making a fool of himself in front of the person who held so much power over him.  
  
"Why were you looking for me?"  
  
Draco paused at the question. Harry knew! He knew that Draco had found the candies. Draco could tell by the inflection in his voice. Well, that should make it easier to get a confession out of him.  
  
Or so he thought.  
  
"Are you a fan of candies?" Draco asked casually, almost as casually as he would have asked the time. But there was too much at stake here for casualty.  
  
Harry stiffened at the question, eyes on the floor. So Draco had found out. He wasn't surprised. Shocked and dismayed, absolutely. But surprised, no. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to remain calm. "Aren't most people?" he retorted a bit more sharply than intended.  
  
Not put out by Harry's tone, Draco answered, "Yes, most people are. But are you a fan of these?" He held up the bag of Heart's Desires, his name facing out so that Harry could see that it was indeed the bag he had lost just that morning. "Because I am," he continued, "especially of this bag in particular. Do you know why?"  
  
"Do I care?" Harry shot back, standing up and crossing his arms over his chest defiantly.  
  
"Oh, I think so. This bag is from somebody special, someone whom you might know. Can you guess who that somebody is?"  
  
Finally Harry could take the teasing no longer. He was already about to fall apart. He didn't need the extra insults mixed in. "I don't have time for this." He crossed the room, ready to bolt out of there.  
  
Draco panicked. This was not how it was supposed to go! He knew he should have just gotten straight to the point! And now Harry was leaving. He had to do something, and fast. Just as Harry's hand touched the doorknob, Draco blurted out, "I love you!"  
  
Hand freezing in its place, Harry slowly turned around until he was once again facing Draco. "What did you say?" he asked disbelievingly, eyes not blinking.  
  
Recovering quickly, Draco said, "I was just reading the saying on these hearts that were addressed to me." Judging from the look of surprise on Harry's face, Draco surmised that the Gryffindor hadn't looked at what was on the hearts after he had written Draco's name on the bag. When he received no answer, he knew he had to do something before Harry tried leaving again.  
  
It was then that he made an executive decision. He would cast away all reservations, all hesitation, and just do what he should have done in the first place.  
  
Reaching into his pocket, Draco pulled out a compact quill and the bag of Heart's Desires he had bought off Pansy. He held up the bag so that Harry could see the hearts were blank. Then he wrote something on it and tossed it to Harry.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Harry stared down at his name that had been written in elegant scrawl. His heart stopped as he watched words appear on the hearts. It was the same phrase over and over again, on all of the tiny candies. Eyes turning to Draco, he murmured, "I love you, too."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Candies," Harry explained as he stepped back into the room until he was standing directly in front of Draco. He dropped both bags to the floor at their feet.  
  
"Is that really what the--"  
  
"Haven't the candies talked enough?" Harry interrupted before grabbing the front of Draco's robes and pulling him into a kiss. As Draco melted against him, he allowed his fingers to tangle themselves in the tiny wisps of blonde hair at the nape of Draco's neck. Pulling the blonde unto an even tighter embrace, Harry's kiss spoke for the candies.  
  
He finally pulled away, lips swollen and cheeks flushed. He knew what the candies said, but he really wanted to hear a confirmation. "Do you really love me back?"  
  
"Do candies lie?" Draco countered, smiling mischievously.  
  
"Mmm, not ours." Harry's lips ghosted over Draco's. "A heart's desire never does."  
  
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A little OOC, I know, but it was just too cute an idea. I had to! Besides, who doesn't enjoy a nice piece of OOC fluff every now and then, right? That's what I thought! Please review! I love my reviews and sprinkle them over peppermint cookies! Until next week! 


	4. New Year's Eve

Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker  
  
Author: GrapeSmshr  
  
Rated: G to PG-13, depending on the chapter  
  
Coupling: HP/DM slashy goodness  
  
Updates: every Friday.  
  
Summary: H/D *slash* Everyone loves the holidays because love blooms. Each chapter is a different holiday in which Harry and Draco find romance. Fourth holiday: New Year's Eve!  
  
A/N: This chapter is pretty short compared to a couple of the others, but it was meant to be that way. Anyone else a firm advocate of New Year's resolutions? ::sees no one raising hands:: Well, that's ok. I make em but rarely keep em, so I don't know why I bother. But Harry and Draco, on the other hand...  
  
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Holiday 4: New Year's Eve  
  
Rated: G  
  
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"Four minutes!"  
  
An excited cheer buzzed through the crowded Great Hall as students and teachers alike partied away the last few minutes of the year. The crowd wasn't extremely large, but it was larger that usual. Among the students who stayed at Hogwarts for winter break was Harry Potter. He'd rather eat *anything* Hagrid cooked than spend a holiday with the Dursleys. By whatever miracle, his two best friends had also stayed behind.  
  
Grinning wildly, Ron Weasley thumped Harry on the shoulder and repeated, "Four minutes, mate!" He had one arm slung around the waist of his girlfriend, Hermione Granger, and the other hand carried a champagne glass of pumpkin juice.  
  
"Wonderful," Harry grumbled sourly, wondering what he had to be excited about. Sure, he was ringing in the new year with two of his favorite people in the world. And he couldn't forget that in six months' time he would be graduating from Hogwarts and starting his life. But... he'd be starting his life alone, just like he was alone for New Year's Eve. He told his friends so.  
  
Patting his arm reassuringly, Ron told him, "You're not alone. You have us."  
  
"That's not what he meant!" Hermione said as she elbowed him in the side so he'd release his arm from her waist. She sat down next to Harry, taking his hand in hers. "Thinking about him?"  
  
Harry nodded miserably. "What kind of person stays for Christmas but leaves before New Year?" He had watched from Gryffindor tower as said object of conversation had left the school in a Thestral-drawn carriage the day after Christmas. Harry's heart had leadened and dropped into his stomach. He just couldn't enjoy the rest of the holiday.  
  
Gazing at him sympathetically, Hermione answered, "Who knows? But don't let the fact that he's not here ruin your evening. I know you like him, but you'll get to see him after winter break."  
  
That wasn't the point. Harry had made a resolution last new Year that he would tell the object of his affection about his feelings. Of course, at the beginning of the year he really hadn't been interested in anyone but had been speaking of a hypothetical someone. But now he was interested, and that person wasn't here. Harry would have to break his resolution and be alone yet again. "Yeah, after break," he echoed dismally.  
  
Sitting opposite him and Hermione, Ron piped in brightly, "Don't worry, Harry. I'm sure there are a few decent blokes at the party who'd like to have you for a snogging partner."  
  
Hermione was about to whack him over the head for his insensitivity, but to her astonishment, Harry chuckled.  
  
"You know, that's probably true." Even though he wasn't interested in anyone else, he did find the thought amusing. And he knew it was true because he had had a few offers, all of which he politely declined.  
  
"Three minutes!"  
  
Harry watched his friends glance at each other. There were three minutes left until midnight, and they were putting their fun on hold to try and cheer him up. He was pretty sure they didn't want to be spending their time with a moping Harry Potter. He leaned into Hermione, gently nudging her. "Go on."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Go spend some time alone. The year's almost over."  
  
"We don't want to leave you like this," Hermione protested, but Harry held up a hand to stop her.  
  
"I'll be fine, really." He gave them a tiny smile to help his argument.  
  
"We don't need to be told twice." Ron grabbed Hermione and pulled her up, flashing a grin at Harry before disappearing among the dancing couples.  
  
Sighing, Harry went to get a glass of pumpkin juice. He observed the others around him, dancing and laughing and starting their midnight snogging a few minutes early. At least everyone else was having a good time. Harry suspected he was the only one feeling sorry for himself.  
  
"Two minutes!"  
  
Weaving his way in and out of the crowd, Harry found a side door that led to a balcony. He leaned up against the stone ledge, starting out into the blackness of the night. Well, he tried to look on the bright side. At least he wasn't dead. He got very close more than a half-dozen times, but he always managed to stay alive in the end. He had two best friends whom he loved dearly and who loved him back. And yeah, he had an entire entourage of followers, but he could definitely do without them. All in all, life wasn't that bad.  
  
So what if he was all alone on New Year's Eve? So what if his resolution was going to be broken? He'd just make a new one and focus on that. He needed to stop feeling sorry for himself and just enjoy the rest of the night.  
  
"One minute!"  
  
Oh, who was he kidding? He was miserably alone on one of the biggest nights of the year, and the one person whose company he longed for wasn't here with him. What was the big bloody deal with celebrating a new year, anyway?  
  
Elbows resting on the ledge, Harry leaned his chin on his hands and closed his eyes. If only he could block out the party sounds... He'd leave the party, but he knew Ron and Hermione would eventually hunt him down. So he might as well pretend like he had a good time when they asked him in the morning. He'd save face, and they'd save their lectures. It was a win-win situation, except for the fact that he didn't win.  
  
"Thirty seconds!"  
  
Did they have to count down from every little interval? Harry didn't want to be reminded that the year was coming to a close. With a frustrated growl, he turned around and found himself face to face with Draco Malfoy.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked before he could stop himself. He was shocked to see the Slytherin there, as he had watched him leave only days before. What was he doing back at school?  
  
Draco's expression was one of pure amusement. "Am I not welcome?"  
  
"That's not what I meant," Harry corrected himself quickly. "I just, well... I saw you leave. Why are you back?"  
  
Contemplating the question a moment, Draco answered simply, "I had to fulfill my New Year's resolution, so I came back." He took a step closer to Harry.  
  
Harry was almost afraid to ask, but he just couldn't help himself. "What was your resolution?"  
  
"To be a decent bloke."  
  
Heart thumping wildly in his chest, Harry's brain rewound to earlier when Ron had said something about finding Harry someone to snog at midnight. He turned questioningly to Draco, who was now smiling pleasantly at Harry.  
  
"And, of course, to find a snogging partner," Draco finished, leaving no doubt as to the fact that he had overheard Harry's earlier conversation.  
  
"Ten!"  
  
"Do you mean..." Harry began.  
  
"Nine!"  
  
"Yes, I mean."  
  
"Eight! Seven!"  
  
Harry wasn't quite sure he heard right. Draco wanted to snog him? Maybe he misunderstood in all the shouting. "What?"  
  
"Six!"  
  
"I want you, Harry Potter."  
  
"Five!"  
  
Harry's eyes widened. He hadn't misunderstood that. "You want me?"  
  
Four!"  
  
"Yes, I want you," Draco confirmed with the slightest upturn at the corners of his mouth.  
  
"Three! Two!"  
  
"I want you, too."  
  
"One!"  
  
"Then come here."  
  
As the school exploded in mounds of confetti and streamers, Draco grabbed the front of Harry's jumper and pulled him into the most breathtaking kiss either had ever experienced. The party didn't exist. There were no other people. It was just the two of them, arms around waists and lips refusing to part, even long after the last streamer touched the ground.  
  
Lips curling into a smile, Harry pulled back and asked coyly, "So, what's your resolution for this year?"  
  
In response, Draco dipped his head and softly brushed his lips across Harry's.  
  
"Funny, mine too," Harry laughed as their lips joined again to get a start on fulfilling the upcoming year's resolutions.  
  
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Who's going to argue with resolutions like those? I know I wouldn't! I want to give a special thanks to Rebuky, who reminded me about one of the best holidays to write about, Aprils Fool's Day. I totally forgot about that one! Should be fun... Anyway, thanks to everyone who reviewed. I love em to pieces.  
  
Now for a shameless plug... I just posted a new one-shot, HD of course, entitled Cold Feet. If you have the time, please read it! It's pretty short. I love you guys! Until next week! 


	5. Halloween

Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker  
  
Author: GrapeSmshr  
  
Rated: G to PG-13, depending on the chapter  
  
Coupling: HP/DM slashy goodness  
  
Updates: every Friday.  
  
Summary: H/D *slash* Everyone loves the holidays because love blooms. Each chapter is a different holiday in which Harry and Draco find romance. Fifth holiday: Halloween!  
  
A/N: I know everyone has been waiting for Halloween... so here it is! This chapter took a slightly different turn than the others, but when I got the idea, I just had to run with it! So read on and enjoy!  
  
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Holiday 5: Halloween  
  
Rated: PG  
  
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"Come on, tell me!"  
  
"No!"  
  
They had been having the same argument for a good half hour straight, and frankly, Harry Potter was growing quite tired of it. Even if they were best mates, he was growing closer and closer to clocking Ron Weasley.  
  
"Why the big secret? It's no big deal," Ron tried again in his attempt to get some information out of his friend.  
  
Harry, however, refused to yield. "No," he repeated firmly, slamming his Transfiguration book shut. "That's the end of it." He stood, gathering his books and homework. "I'm going to the library for a while. If I get back and you're still harping on the subject, I won't go to the party at all, got it?" Without waiting for a response, Harry left the Gryffindor common room in a huff.  
  
"No need to snipe," Ron muttered, plunking down on the couch that Harry had just moments before occupied.  
  
"Let it go," Hermione Granger told her boyfriend airily. She had only been half-listening to their argument, but she knew that Ron would never win. Harry was as stubborn as the day was long. "You'll find out in a couple of hours."  
  
Knowing he was defeated, Ron heaved a sigh and sank back into the couch with his Charms book. If he had to wait, he might as well be productive. If he wasn't, Hermione would never let him hear the end of it.  
  
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In the library, Harry was smirking to himself. The Halloween ball was one of the biggest celebrations all year, with everyone dressing up as they pleased. The food was great, the music spectacular, and the costumes were the best of all. It was a day to leave all inhibitions at the door. Halloween was the patented 'Come As You Aren't' day.  
  
And Harry would definitely be living up to that. He couldn't wait to see everyone's reactions when they saw him in costume. It was going to be his greatest performance yet...  
  
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Two hours later found Harry back in Gryffindor tower among the throng of excited and panicking students. Everyone was running around, trying to get their costumes together.  
  
"I can't find my ears!" a voice came floating from up in the dorms. A moment later Lavender Brown thundered down the stairs in an absolute frenzy. She was dressed in a cat suit, with tail and drawn-on whiskers, but no ears. "Have you seen my ears?" she asked Harry, who shook his head.  
  
"I've found them!" Ginny Weasley called from across the room as she tossed the fuzzy black headband to Lavender, who happily thanked her and ran back upstairs.  
  
"Aren't you going to start getting ready?" Ginny came up behind Harry, who was helping Neville Longbottom straighten the plume on the cap of his Musketeer costume. As Neville's date, Ginny was decked out in a deep purple medieval gown that matched the color of the lining of Neville's cape.  
  
"Not yet," Harry replied distractedly. "My costume won't take too much attention."  
  
"You're not going in the nude, are you?" Not that I'd mind..." Seamus Finnigan had heard the answer and just had to respond. It seemed he was going for the costume that would leave him the most scantily clad. He was adorned in a few strategically placed fig leaves, and that was it.  
  
Glancing at the Irish teen in amusement, Harry finished up with Neville and sent him on his way. "Sorry to disappoint, Seamus, but I *will* be in costume at the party."  
  
"A real shame, too," Seamus shook his head. "Now, where's my Eve?" he called up the stairs.  
  
"Watering her Garden," Dean Thomas joked with a grin as he came downstairs in a pirate costume, eye patch and all.  
  
Grabbing his boyfriend's hand, Seamus pulled him toward the door. "We should use the eye patch later tonight," Harry heard him say as the two left for the ball.  
  
Soon the majority of the Gryffindors had left, leaving Harry waiting to see the costumes of his two best friends.  
  
Ron was the first to make an appearance downstairs. He had on black leather trousers, heavy boots, and a black muscle shirt. His hair was spiked wildly, and he carried an electric guitar.  
  
"Nice costume, Ron," Harry laughed as the redhead struck a pose with the guitar. "Very authentic."  
  
"Thanks, mate." Ron was glad for the compliment. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to pull off the rocker bit. "Say, you wouldn't--"  
  
"I'm not telling you," Harry interrupted. "You'll find out soon enough."  
  
Ron shrugged, leaning on one of the tables. "Had to try one last time. Now, where is that girlfriend of mine?"  
  
"Right here."  
  
Both males turned their eyes toward the stairs and were shocked at the vision in front of them.  
  
Hermione wore a long white gown accented by gold cord. The hem of the white material was hitched up as she descended the stairs, and they could see sandals with golden cord lacing up her calves. Her hair was done in a simple twist, completing her outfit as a Greek goddess.  
  
Taking her hands in his, Harry told his friend, "You look magnificent."  
  
Cheeks flushing, she thanked him with a brief hug.  
  
"You really are too stunning for words," Ron pulled Hermione close, nuzzling her cheek with his nose.  
  
Giggling, she answered, "That's all right. You have all night to find the right words. See you at the party, Harry," she called as she led Ron out.  
  
Finally alone, Harry headed up to his dorm to change into his costume. He had had to... borrow a few items from a fellow student to make his costume authentic. He could only imagine the looks of everyone when he walked into the Great Hall. It was going to be one hell of an evening!  
  
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The party was in full swing. The dance floor was packed, the tables filled up with laughing students. Even the chaperones were enjoying themselves.  
  
The main topic of discussion, among students and professors alike, was the absence of Hogwarts' two most popular rivals. There were theories flying about like mad. There usually were with those two. Some people wagered the Gryffindor and Slytherin were having a duel; some figured that they just weren't going to attend the party. Hermione, Ron, and the smarter of the crowd were awaiting their costume-clad arrivals.  
  
Moving in time to the music, Ron leaned closer to Hermione and called out, "Harry said his costume wouldn't take long. Shouldn't he be here by now, then?"  
  
Shaking her head, Hermione took Ron's outstretched hand and twirled around a couple of times before answering, "He'll be here soon, I'm sure."  
  
"And what about Malfoy?"  
  
"Ron, you know Malfoy always likes to make a grand entrance," she said airily.  
  
Oh, she could not have been more right.  
  
They continued dancing, at first not noticing when other couples stopped. But when the music ceased, they joined the crowd of confused people. And then they saw him.  
  
In the entranceway of the Great Hall stood Draco Malfoy... No... It was Harry Potter dressed as Draco Malfoy! He was wearing an open Slytherin robe, complete with expensively tailored uniform and green and silver striped tie. His eyes were still green but sans spectacles, and his hair was now white-blonde and slicked back, revealing his famous lightning bolt scar. He wasn't paying attention to the crowd, though. His gaze was focused on the other end of the Great Hall, in one of the side entrances.  
  
Everyone turned to follow his stare.  
  
Draco Malfoy dressed as Harry Potter was standing there with his hands on his hips. He was adorned in the Gryffindor uniform. His hair was black and unkempt, his silver eyes glaring at Harry from behind round spectacles. A jagged line peeked out from under his unruly bangs, no doubt belonging to a drawn-on lightning bolt. He started walking slowly, very slowly, into the crowd, who quickly parted for him.  
  
Harry had also started walking, and soon they were in the middle of the Great Hall, a few feet apart, eyes locked.  
  
No one breathed. They dared not interrupt what was bound to be an explosive encounter. Dumbledore even held the professors at bay, watching the two with avid amusement.  
  
Smirking, Draco drawled, "So how does it feel to finally be gorgeous and important, Potter?"  
  
"I don't know; you tell me," Harry returned with a smirk of his own, crossing his arms over his chest. He watched at the blonde-now-raven-head bristled, clenching his fists at his side.  
  
Taking a step forward, Draco was now directly in front of Harry. Nonchalance was on his expression, but his eyes were burning with an unfathomable intensity. "You find this amusing, do you?"  
  
Much as he tried to keep a straight face, Harry couldn't help but let a tiny smile grace his lips. Oh, he was *highly* amused. "I do, yes. Do you have a problem with that?"  
  
"Actually, yes."  
  
"Well, what are you going to do about it?"  
  
"This."  
  
When Draco raised his hand, several people braced themselves for a brawl. They had seen such fights between the two before and found that it was dangerous to be a bystander, as hexes flew in every which direction. A fist fight wasn't much better, though.  
  
So imagine their surprise when that raised hand flew to the back of Harry's neck and pulled him closer until their lips were crushed together. And instead of Harry pulling away and spluttering, they watched as the Gryffindor clutched Draco's shoulders, kissing back passionately.  
  
As they pulled apart, Harry was grinning stupidly. "Thanks for letting me borrow your clothes, Draco."  
  
"Same to you, Harry," Draco answered as he casually slung an arm around Harry's waist. He glanced around to the people who were watching them in openmouthed shock. This only added to his amusement.  
  
Following Draco's gaze, Harry couldn't help but chuckle. Spotting his friends, he called out, "So what do you think of our Halloween costumes?"  
  
Shaking his head in disbelief, Ron said, "That's the scariest thing I've ever seen." He watched Harry's face turn to disappointment before he added with a shudder, "Malfoy with black hair? Talk about creepy!"  
  
This made Harry laugh. He knew that Ron's joking around meant that he was fine with Harry's revelation. And if he wasn't, he'd try really hard to be, for Harry's sake. He turned to Hermione expectantly.  
  
"Well, it could have seen worse," she answered slowly. At Harry's curious glance, she continued, "You could have tried dancing. Then we'd know there was no hope left."  
  
This elicited chuckles from the crowd.  
  
"Oh, I'll show you," Harry growled as he headed over to her.  
  
"No, you don't," Draco had grabbed Harry's arm and tugged him back. "I believe the first dance is mine?"  
  
And then the music started up again. Gradually the dance floor filled up with couples, with Harry and Draco dancing in the center, arms latched tightly around each other.  
  
"I think it went rather well," Harry was saying, and Draco couldn't agree more.  
  
"Did you see their faces?" he asked gleefully, twirling Harry about and then bringing him in close.  
  
"I thought I was going to start laughing," Harry confessed. He had to use every last ounce of self-control to keep a straight face during their little skit.  
  
"I know what you mean." The expressions on his fellow Slytherins' faces had been priceless!  
  
They danced in silence a moment, a frown marring Harry's features.  
  
"What is it?" Draco prompted.  
  
Harry gave him a perplexed look before answering indignantly, "I don't know what Hermione was talking about. I do *so* know how to dance!"  
  
Bursting into laughter, Draco pulled Harry tightly against his body and then dipped him. "Of course you do. You're a Malfoy, after all."  
  
"Then what's *your* excuse, Mr. Potter?" Harry retorted teasingly.  
  
"Hey, I resent that! I happen to dance very well," Draco defended himself. It was one of the stipulations of being a Malfoy. He had to have impeccable dancing skills for show reasons.  
  
"You know..." Harry began, contemplating his words for a moment. "You look kind of... sexy with that scar." His fingers traced the inked scar running down Draco's forehead.  
  
"Now you know what you look like to me."  
  
Harry was pleased with that compliment. He was so used to everyone commenting on his scar that he never paid attention to it all. But now that Draco was sporting one... "Maybe you should keep it."  
  
Draco looked ill at the thought of something permanently blemishing his beautiful face. While the scar was sexy on Harry, he didn't exactly want one for himself. "No."  
  
"Oh, come on."  
  
"No."  
  
"Then we'd match."  
  
"No."  
  
"But it's turning me on."  
  
A pause. Then, "No."  
  
"Suit yourself."  
  
"How about I suit you?" Draco raised an eyebrow suggestively. "Or un-suit you?"  
  
Harry smiled, shaking his head. "Later. I want to enjoy the party."  
  
"But I want you all to myself," Draco growled, nibbling Harry's ear to show him just how much he wanted them to be alone.  
  
"The night is young. There's plenty of time for that, Mr. Potter."  
  
"All of the nights will be young, Mr. Malfoy, after we make that name official," Draco whispered against Harry's ear, sending a delicious shiver down the other teen's spine.  
  
"So much for 'come as you aren't,' huh?" Harry joked as he nuzzled the side of Draco's face.  
  
"We'll leave that to everyone else. This Halloween you're mine, and the same for every one after that." He leaned in to brush his lips across Harry's.  
  
"Mmm, I can live with that."  
  
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See, I told you this chapter was different! Ok, so technically neither one really wooed the other, but it was still all in fun! I figure I've got two more chapters to go, Easter and April Fool's... unless someone has a holiday that I forgot? Anyway, please review! I love reviews! They make my day. A happy author is a productive author, and a productive author writes for the readers, which automatically makes everyone else happy. It's the circle of life, people! I love you guys! Until next week! 


	6. Easter

Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker  
  
Author: GrapeSmshr  
  
Rated: G to PG-13, depending on the chapter  
  
Coupling: HP/DM slashy goodness  
  
Updates: every Friday.  
  
Summary: H/D *slash* Everyone loves the holidays because love blooms. Each chapter is a different holiday in which Harry and Draco find romance. Sixth holiday: Easter!  
  
A/N: Anyone else love those Easter egg hunts? I don't care if I'm almost 21. I still like to hunt for Easter eggs with my little brother. That was kind of an inspiration of sorts for this chapter...  
  
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Holiday 6: Easter  
  
Rated: PG  
  
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Sitting in the Great Hall, Draco Malfoy only half listened to his friends' conversation as he mechanically brought food to his mouth. He didn't have anything against his friends; that certainly wasn't it. No, he was just a bit... preoccupied with his thoughts as he anxiously awaited the morning post.  
  
After what seemed like forever but was only mere minutes, the steady hum and even louder flapping of wings could be heard as the air was filled with owls of all colors and sizes, each clutching envelopes and packages containing Easter goodies.  
  
Draco barely noticed when his own eagle owl landed on the table in front of him, a large package in its talons. Noticing he was being ignored, the owl nipped at Draco's finger--hard. Giving a startled yelp, he took the package, offering his feathery friend a piece of toast, then turned his eyes back to the table across the Hall, where a certain snowy owl was delivering a package to her owner.  
  
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"So what's on the agenda today?" Ron Weasley asked through a mouthful of food. He took a swig of pumpkin juice and continued, "How about a Quidditch match? Or wizard's chess? Exploding Snap?"  
  
Exchanging amused glances, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger knew why their redheaded friend was so enthusiastic. Ron was always ecstatic around holidays, especially ones that involved chocolate.  
  
His face lit up even more at the owls that began flooding in. He ducked as Pig came flying at his head. Groaning, Ron managed to catch the tiny owl and take the rather large package tied to his spindly leg. In return, Pig landed on the table and started eating from Ron's plate.  
  
Tearing into the wrapping, Ron pulled out four packages from his mum. He handed Harry and Hermione their respective packages, sent Ginny's down the table to her, then proceeded to tear into his own.  
  
Harry was about to do the same when Hedwig came flying over, dropping a package in his lap. She then landed on his shoulder, nipping at his ear affectionately.  
  
Reaching up to absently stroke Hedwig's feathers, Harry stared curiously at the nondescript package. Who could it possibly be from?  
  
"Who's that from, mate?" Ron halted in his unwrapping to stare at the package in Harry's hands.  
  
"I don't know..." Tearing open a corner of the wrapping, Harry ripped off the brown paper to reveal a black box. He slowly opened it up, revealing--"An Easter egg?"  
  
But this was not just an Easter egg. This egg was porcelain, painted in a mosaic of reds and yellows and oranges, catching the light and glittering brilliantly.  
  
"Look, Harry, it's got a hinge," Hermione pointed out.  
  
Sure enough, Harry spotted the golden hinge. He slowly opened the egg, blinking at its contents. There was no candy or even any little trinkets, only a note. Plucking the paper up, Harry read aloud, "No surprise just yet. Follow your heart, or any other limb, for your next clue."  
  
"What does that mean?" Ron wrinkled his nose in confusion.  
  
"It's obviously a riddle of some sort," Hermione answered snobbishly, taking the note from Harry and reading it over again. "Follow your heart, or any other limb..."  
  
"I've got it!" Harry snapped his fingers, startling Hedwig so that she flew off her perch on his shoulder and landed beside Pig, who immediately began twittering around her. Staring at the tiny owl reproachfully, Hedwig hooted loudly once and then flew off.  
  
Turning away from Hedwig, Harry continued, "It's the infirmary! The next clue is in the infirmary!" He wondered what he would find, what these clues would lead up to. More importantly, who sent him the Easter egg in the first place?  
  
"Great, let's go!" Ron was about to jump up from his seat, but Hermione tugged him back down.  
  
As he glared at her, she said pointedly, "Maybe he doesn't want us tagging along."  
  
After a moment's hesitation, Harry confessed, "I really would rather do this on my own. No offense." As much as Harry loved his two best friends, he just got this feeling that he'd want to be alone when he found what the clues were leading him to.  
  
Neither took it offensively; they understood. From the sound of the situation, not to mention the beautifully expensive quality to the egg, they both guessed it could be from a secret admirer. And what would be more embarrassing than for a secret admirer to have to admit his feelings to said object of affection while an audience looked on?  
  
"We get it, Harry. Now go find that next clue," Ron instructed, lightly punching Harry on the shoulder.  
  
With an excited smile, Harry rose from his seat and turned to leave when he felt a tug on his hand. He turned questioningly to Hermione, who said, "Be sure to tell us what you find at the end."  
  
"Of course." And then Harry left the Great Hall.  
  
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Across the room, two silvery steel eyes watched as a certain Gryffindor made his departure. Draco clutched his napkin nervously. There was no going back now.  
  
The game was on.  
  
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Forcing himself to walk at a normal pace, Harry's mind wondered at all of the possible things he would find at the end of this little hunt. For some reason, the thought that this might be some kind of trick never crossed his mind. Maybe it was the ornamental extravagance of the egg. Maybe it was just this feeling he had...  
  
As he made it to the infirmary, Harry cautiously pushed the doors open and peeked inside. Good, no one was there. Stepping into the room, his eyes scanned everything for any sign of a clue.  
  
There, against the stark white linens of one of the beds, was another Easter egg. This one was a swirl of blues and violets, also porcelain and also hinged. Delicately picking up the egg, Harry opened it and pulled out the next clue. "Where feathers float and sometimes burn, there you'll find the next clue." Where feathers fly...  
  
Oh! The Owlery! Harry took a few steps, then stopped. Wait; why would feathers burn at the Owlery? Why would feathers burn in the first place?  
  
He immediately thought of Fawkes, Dumbledore's loyal phoenix, but there would be no way a clue could be hidden in the headmaster's office. So what else could it possibly be?  
  
Contemplating this, he felt a memory tugging at his brain from first year. He remembered sitting next to Seamus Finnigan as the Irish teen, then only a boy, accidentally blew up the feather he had been trying to levitate. It was quite funny at the time. Still was, actually. Smiling to himself, Harry took off towards the Charms classroom.  
  
He made it there in no time at all, passing no one because they were all probably still at breakfast. Slipping into the classroom, he quietly closed the door behind him.  
  
Floating in the middle of the room, slowly rotating, was an egg of violet, yellow, and white stripes. Harry reached up and gingerly plucked the egg from the air, opening it and taking out the next clue.  
  
"Up, down, like the wind, this next clue will take some skill to get to." Ah, Harry knew what this clue was. After all, he knew those sensations like he knew his own name. With a new skip in his step, he began his leisurely stroll outside.  
  
By this time, other students were milling about. Not wanting to explain himself, Harry stopped to wrap each egg in individual handkerchiefs and place them in his robe pocket, but not before casting an unbreakable charm on them.  
  
Pausing only briefly to exchange greetings with two Ravenclaws, Harry politely excused himself as he went outside and rounded the school, heading toward the broom shed. He picked up his Firebolt, walking over to the Quidditch pitch to search for the next clue.  
  
Whoever was sending these clues knew him very well, Harry thought as he kicked off from the ground and soared into the air. First there was a clue in the infirmary, where he frequently inhabited, much to his chagrin. Then the next clue was in the Charms classroom. Charms had become one of Harry's favorite subjects in these past couple of years as he became exceptionally well at them. He guessed the War motivated him to work that much harder to learn whatever he could.  
  
And now, the previous clue brought him outside to his second home, the air. Harry had always loved flying, ever since the first time he had mounted a broom. There was just something both exhilarating and calming about being in the air, the wind rushing around him, soothing his every nerve as he searched for the golden snitch.  
  
Speaking of searches, Harry focused on the task at hand and narrowed his seeker's eyes to look for the next clue. He wondered if it would be hovering in the air like the last one, but he doubted it. So where could it be?  
  
He was almost at the middle of the pitch and still no sign of anything. He scanned the stands and the ground and saw nothing.  
  
Heaving a sigh, he turned his eyes forward to speed off to the other end of the pitch. When he did, though, he almost smashed into one of the large golden scoring hoops. Crying out, he quickly dodged the metal ring and flew through it, ducking at his head almost smashed into--an egg?  
  
Sharply turning around, Harry saw that it was indeed another egg, tied from the top of the hoop. Hovering in the air, he untied the pale blue and pink spotted egg and took out the paper. "Last clue. You'll find it where even the largest man can feel insignificant."  
  
Floating slowly to the ground, Harry mulled over the words of the clue. It mentioned large men. As in giants? Maybe it was referring to Hagrid! But what would make even Hagrid feel insignificant? Well, not finishing school, but that wouldn't exactly have a concrete location for a clue. No, it had to be something else.  
  
Depositing his beloved Firebolt back in the broom shed, Harry began his trek back to the school. But he still didn't know where he was going. He paused, determined to decipher this clue. Maybe he was going about this the wrong way and needed to approach it from a different angle.  
  
What made someone feel insignificant? It Harry were talking about himself, that would be the Dursleys. But that couldn't very well be it, as it wasn't practical in any sense of the word. So what else could make a person feel insignificant?  
  
Class, war, family, friends, arguments... Hell, just about anything in the galaxy could make someone feel that way!  
  
And then he got it. The galaxy could make anyone feel insignificant. Or, more specifically, the inhabitants of the galaxy. Turning his head upward to stare into the large expanse of sky, Harry mentally smacked himself for not figuring it out sooner.  
  
Breaking into a sprint, Harry made a beeline for the main doors of the school. He dashed inside and down the hall, ignoring the curious glances being thrown in his direction. He wasn't about to stop and explain, not when he was so close to his destination!  
  
Flying up the stairs at a breakneck speed, Harry thanked Merlin that none of the staircases decided to move while he was on them. Now on the top floor of the school, he seemed to be the only one up there. Well, he supposed there really was no reason for anyone, save him, to be up there on a holiday.  
  
Slowing to a walk, breath puffing out jaggedly, Harry cautiously stood at the door leading to the Astronomy tower. With a burst of determination, he opened the door and began ascending the spiraling stairs until he finally reached the top.  
  
And there it was, the last clue. Sitting on a stone bench was another Easter egg. This one was a deep iridescent maroon. As Harry approached, it changed to a deep forest green. He tilted his head to the side, watching as the prismatic egg flashed maroon once again. It was by far the most beautiful of the four. He picked it up, admiring it from every angle.  
  
A part of him didn't want to open it. What if he was disappointed with its contents? What it if *were* a joke?  
  
No, he had already decided that it wasn't. Beside, a larger, more curious part of him wanted to see exactly what was in the egg. Slowly opening it up, he pulled out a tiny piece of paper and set the egg back down. Taking a deep breath, he read the two words written on it. "Turn around." His eyebrows knitted together. "Like, in a circle?"  
  
"Turn around, you git."  
  
Harry froze, the paper fluttering to the floor, forgotten. He recognized that voice... Spinning slowly on his heel, Harry now faced his pale-haired Slytherin rival, the same rival he had, somewhere in the back of his mind, hoped all this would lead him to.  
  
Draco was nervous. Very nervous, actually. This was something he had never done before. How did he explain to his longtime enemy that he had a thing--a crush--aimed in his direction? But what he saw made his heart skip a beat.  
  
Harry was smiling. Smiling! No disappointment no anger or disgust, just a smile that made his beautiful face even more so. And that was all the encouragement Draco needed.  
  
"Potter," he started, wringing his hands. "No, Harry," he corrected himself, almost wincing as he said the name that had since before been foreign to his lips. He had never spoken the name without malice, and he was almost afraid that he might have overstepped his boundaries.  
  
But Harry only tilted his head, smile still gracing his lips, and answered, "Yes, Draco?"  
  
Hearing his name from Harry gave Draco a boost of confidence. Unfortunately, he was still having trouble forming a coherent sentence. "I, uhh... I just wanted to... I mean..." he fumbled with the words.  
  
But Harry, thank Merlin, took pity on him and didn't make him finish his sentence. Instead the ravenhead pulled the front of an unsuspecting Draco's robes and softly brushed his lips across the blonde's, efficiently cutting off any coherent thought Draco might have had left.  
  
Giving Harry one last lingering kiss, Draco asked breathlessly, "So you're not disappointed by my Easter gift?"  
  
Shrugging, Harry said, "Well, I mean, it's not chocolate..."  
  
"Chocolate? Is that what you wanted?" Draco leaned in and ever so gently swept his lips over Harry's, smiling as Harry let out a tiny sigh.  
  
As Draco pulled away, Harry rested his hands on the blonde's waist. "Mmm, some things are better than chocolate."  
  
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Thank you guys so much for your suggestions for other holidays! I really would love to do Thanksgiving and Independence Day, but there really is no way to do that unless they take a fun little trip to America. Sure, there may be some plausible way to work it out... I'll consider it, I suppose. Anyway, please review! I love my reviews as much as I love my cotton candy fluff. And if you want more fluff, drop me a line and encourage me a little! Thanks for reading! 


	7. April Fools' Day

Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker  
  
Author: GrapeSmshr  
  
Rated: G to PG-13, depending on the chapter  
  
Coupling: HP/DM slashy goodness  
  
Updates: every Friday.  
  
Summary: H/D *slash* Everyone loves the holidays because love blooms. Each chapter is a different holiday in which Harry and Draco find romance. Seventh holiday: April Fools' Day!  
  
A/N: I must admit, I had the hardest time writing this chapter. But then inspiration struck, so here it is! I almost didn't get to post it because my comp has been busted for the past 3 days. Yay for computer genius dads! Hope you enjoy!  
  
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Holiday 7: April Fools' Day  
  
Rated: G  
  
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"April Fools'!"  
  
"Ha ha, very funny," Harry Potter grumbled as he glared at his redheaded best friend. He rubbed the bump on his head gingerly, a result from a trap that had caused him to stumble and smack into the wall.  
  
Ron Weasley could barely breathe he was laughing so hard. "I. Totally. Got. You," he guffawed between intakes of air. It really didn't take much to amuse him, and Harry's less than graceful tumble had been hilarious!  
  
"Oh, honestly, Ron," Hermione Granger rolled her eyes at her friend's antics. The day had only just begun, and Ron had already been pulling stupid pranks all morning.  
  
Luckily there were no other people who saw Harry's fall, but that made sense because the three were late to breakfast. Of course, this was due to another one of Ron's jokes that had both Harry and Hermione trying to rinse blue dye out of their hair. It hadn't much affected Hermione but, for some reason, Harry just couldn't get all of the dye out of his hair. His normally midnight black locks were now a dark midnight blue when the light hit it at certain angles.  
  
Of course, the Great Hall was always well lit, so his blue hair was quite evident to the entirety of Hogwarts.  
  
"Hey Harry, love the new look!"  
  
"Is blue hair the fashion now?"  
  
"It goes wonderfully with your robes!"  
  
Blushing furiously at the catcalls thrown at him, Harry shot Ron a dirty look and stomped over to the Gryffindor table, where he threw his bag on the floor and sat down. He was joined shortly by his two best friends, Hermione glaring at anyone who tried to tease Harry and Ron just laughing silently.  
  
He thought it was funny still, did he? Maybe Ron would stop laughing if his toes were hexed off or something, Harry mused sourly. He started piling food on his plate, absently taking bites. He had a feeling he was forgetting something...  
  
"They have a potion to correct that, you know," Hermione was saying to Ron when he finally tuned them back in.  
  
"Oh, no!"  
  
"What?" both Ron and Hermione asked at the same time.  
  
"I didn't finish my Potions essay!" Harry screwed his eyes shut, panicking. Why did he always remember these things the morning *of*? Grabbing a piece of toast and his school bag, Harry told his friends he'd meet them in class and scrambled to the library.  
  
Writing furiously, Harry managed to finish his essay with just enough time to get to class. Dashing through the deserted hallways, he made his way down to the dungeons and into the Potions classroom. Panting slightly from his mad dash, Harry hurried to his seat beside Draco Malfoy, who smirked at him.  
  
Glancing around, Harry noticed that people were staring at him. Some were amused, some irate, some curious. And they all looked away as soon as he met their eyes.  
  
Before he could go and question his friends, Professor Snape burst into the room in a flourish of billowing black robes. "I trust you all did your essays," he said as he walked around and took the scrolls of parchment from each student. When he reached Harry and Draco, he paused momentarily, eyes going from one to the other and back again. Then he collected their essays and moved on.  
  
"Today you will be finishing the shrinking potions you started last class." Snape began to rapidly scrawl out ingredients on the board at the front of the room. "We will test them at the end of class. Get to work!"  
  
Silently, Harry and Draco began working on their potion. Every so often, Harry would pause in his chopping up yellow dwarf-root only to find people eyeing him curiously. It was unnerving, to say the least, especially when Pansy Parkinson winked at him. Distracted, Harry missed tossing a handful of dwarf-root into the cauldron and instead scattered it over the fish scales Draco had just grated.  
  
"Hey!" Draco exclaimed, startling Harry out of his stupor. "Watch what you're doing, Potter!"  
  
"Sorry," Harry mumbled, helping Draco pick up the dwarf-root and throw it into the cauldron. He wanted to know what was going on. Everyone was acting to strangely. Maybe Draco knew what was going on. It wouldn't hurt to ask, right? "Hey," he murmured, "do you notice anything peculiar about the others today?"  
  
Draco only stared at him, disbelief on his face before it was masked once again by his general cockiness. "You really are a ponce, you know that?" he sneered, resuming his work on their potion.  
  
Confused, Harry followed suit and let the matter rest. For now.  
  
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After Potions, Harry stayed behind to clean up a spill he had made. He wanted to talk to Ron and Hermione about everyone's odd behavior, but he received an evil glare from Snape, so he told them to go on without him.  
  
Once finished, he flew from the dungeons and continued on toward the Charms classroom. Rounding a corner, he smacked into someone, sending the other person flying backwards. But he was up on his feet in a second, and Harry could see that it was a first-year Hufflepuff. He was grinning and jumping from one foot to the other excitedly, much like Colin Creevey used to, Harry observed in amusement.  
  
"I'm sorry!" the kid apologized. "Wasn't watching where I was going. Too busy thinking about what I just heard." As Harry looked at him questioningly, he asked eagerly, "I guess you haven't heard? It's a great piece of gossip right now!"  
  
"Really?" Harry wondered why he hadn't heard anything. Well, he was always in the mood for a bit of gossip. "Care to share?"  
  
The boy's eyes lit up. "Sure!" He gestured for Harry, who was considerably taller, to bend down. Hand near his mouth, the boy whispered to Harry, "I heard from a Ravenclaw that Harry Potter is the object of affection of Draco Malfoy!"  
  
As soon as Harry heard his name, he started to smile. If he was receiving gossip about himself, then the kid obviously had no idea that he was speaking to Harry Potter. But when the boy had finished his sentence, Harry wasn't quite so amused. In fact, he was downright floored.  
  
"Isn't that wild?" the boy continued, oblivious to Harry's stupor.  
  
Harry's mind reeled furiously. Well, that explained why everyone was staring at him in class. But why didn't Draco say anything? Surely he had heard the rumors?  
  
And then it hit him. Of course he'd have heard them, because he started them! It was April Fools' Day, after all. He more than likely wanted to see Harry get all flustered and make an idiot of himself. Well, two could play that game...  
  
Grinning wickedly, Harry told the boy, "I actually have another piece of gossip that you may be interested in."  
  
"Really? Tell me!" the boy pleaded.  
  
Leaning in closer, Harry said in a quiet voice, "I heard that Harry Potter has a crush on Draco Malfoy, too."  
  
The boy's eyes lit up in excitement. "I have to tell everyone!" He scampered off down the hallway.  
  
Harry straightened up, watching the boy disappear around a corner. In a matter of mere hours, another rumor would be floating around the halls of Hogwarts, and Harry couldn't wait to see Draco's reaction!  
  
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The rest of the morning passed quickly, and Harry hadn't really had to deal with any rumors, neither his nor Draco's. But he knew he wouldn't be so lucky at lunch. Squaring his shoulders, Harry confidently threw open the doors and walked in.  
  
All eyes were on him, he could feel it. Ignoring the looks and the loud buzz of whispering, he sat down next to Ron and reached for the platter of red potatoes. "I just heard the most interesting piece of gossip," he said casually as he began to eat.  
  
Hermione looked at Harry incredulously before demanding, "Just what is going on?"  
  
"I'm eating," Harry replied innocently.  
  
"Harry..." her tone held a warning, and Harry knew not to push her temper. While she was docile most of the time, he learned quickly that Hermione could hex him faster than he could blink.  
  
Sighing, he gave in. "Fine, I'll tell you." He motioned for Hermione to lean in closer so the entire Gryffindor populace wouldn't overhear, and they were straining to. "I think Malfoy started a rumor about having a crushing on me."  
  
"Why would he do that?" Hermione asked in confusion.  
  
"To make me look like a chump; I don't know," Harry said irritably, annoyed at having been interrupted. "So when I heard this, I started a rumor that I liked him back."  
  
"What? Why?" Ron screeched loudly, gaining the attention of half the Great Hall. He threw out glares in any general direction until people finally began turning away. "What's the point of starting another rumor?" he asked in a more subdued tone.  
  
"To get him back at his own game, of course." Wasn't that much obvious?  
  
Exchanging a glance with Ron, Hermione laid her hand on top of Harry's. "Are you sure that's the only reason?"  
  
"What other reason would there be?"  
  
Hermione sighed, burying her face in her hands. She didn't even know why she bothered. "Nothing, never mind."  
  
Leaving the conversation at that, Harry turned his gaze across the Hall. He scanned over everyone until he spotted a certain silver-haired Slytherin, who happened to be staring right back at him. Harry's lips slowly spread into a grin at Draco's expression. No sneer, no smirk, just a thoughtful gaze. How very... un-Malfoy-like. Harry didn't quite know what to think.  
  
Did Draco believe the rumors Harry had started, or was he staring at Harry about something completely different? Unbeknownst to Hermione, Harry was not as oblivious as he pretended to be. He just didn't much feel like admitting his feelings to her before he did so to the blonde himself. And judging from his expression, there might be something there on Draco's side, too. But the ball was in the blonde's court, so Harry would await the next move patiently.  
  
"Hey, guys, I'm going to take off. I'll see you in Care of Magical Creatures later, all right?" Harry stood up, grabbing a muffin to take with him.  
  
"Sure, Harry."  
  
"Later, mate."  
  
Leaving the Great Hall, Harry was still aware of a pair of stormy eyes trailing after him. As he left the school building, he sent a mental thank-you to Dumbledore for allowing the seventh years a more flexible schedule. Harry had an hour and a half break right after lunch, and he intended to make good use of his time.  
  
Approaching the lake, he took a seat under the shade of an old oak tree. Practically every day would find him here, out by the lake. It was a good spot to just be alone and to think, and right now Harry had a lot to think about. He closed his eyes, leaning back against the smooth three trunk.  
  
He sat there for a while in the silence, wondering about the Slytherin might be thinking right now. There really was never telling with him. Then again, Harry could name a number of occasions when someone incorrectly interpreted just what he was thinking.  
  
Harry didn't consider himself a mysterious person. Complex, sure, but that was common knowledge. Who wouldn't be complex after defying death more times than he could count on both hands?  
  
But that chapter of his life was closed, and he was moving on. Rather successfully, in fact. He had two best friends whom he loved dearly, a myriad of other friends, and he was alive. Couldn't beat that, could he?  
  
Well, that really depended on the blonde now. It wouldn't be the first time Draco tried and succeeded in humiliating Harry in front of the entire Hogwarts populace. So if this ended up being a trick, Harry was gladly going to return the favor. He smiled, thinking about the expression that would be on the blonde's face if the entire school were laughing at his expense.  
  
"Thinking of me?"  
  
Harry's eyes flew open, startled at finding a smirking Draco standing right in front of him. Why didn't he hear the Slytherin approach? Usually no one could sneak up on him! Pushing down the butterflies in his stomach, Harry replied coyly, "Maybe." He patted the grass beside him, offering the blonde a seat.  
  
Draco blinked, surprised at the friendly gesture. Was Harry Potter joking with him? Well, who was he to decline an invitation from his rival of seven years?  
  
He sat down next to Harry, close enough to be close but still a respectable distance away. After all, he had appearances to keep up.  
  
Watching Draco settle comfortably on the grass beside him, Harry couldn't help but let a smile grace his lips. He imagined what a passerby would think if he saw the two biggest rivals at school sitting pleasantly next to each other. It would be shocking, to say the least.  
  
But that's what made it so appealing.  
  
As Draco turned his way, Harry cocked his head and said conversationally, "I heard the most interesting bit of information this morning."  
  
"Really? It couldn't be as interesting as what *I* heard," Draco countered, smirk still in place.  
  
"You'd be surprised. Of all things, I heard that you have a crush on me."  
  
Draco raised an eyebrow elegantly. "Funny. I heard that *you* have a crush on *me*."  
  
Harry smiled. "Yeah, I heard that, too."  
  
They just sat there staring at each other, Harry smiling and Draco almost smiling. His smirk was gone, the corners of his mouth turned slightly upward.  
  
Suddenly the silence was broken as Draco demanded, "So is it true?"  
  
"Was your true?"  
  
Draco glanced away, not wanting to look at Harry. Finally he answered, "Yes." Then he turned back, indifference on his face. "Well? What about you?"  
  
"Draco, I know."  
  
"Know what?"  
  
"Today. April Fools' Day? I know."  
  
Draco stared at Harry blankly. Then realization swept over him as he blushed deeply. "I didn't realize," he muttered. "Now I know where the fool part originates from." His eyes turned downward.  
  
Harry was shocked. He could tell by the look on the blonde's face that he was telling the truth. In that case, he could be honest, too.  
  
Grabbing Draco's chin, Harry turned the blonde's face back toward him. He leaned in and ever so gently brushed his lips across Draco's, pulling away to search the eyes of the now shocked Slytherin.  
  
Smiling gently, Harry said, "Don't worry. You're not the only fool."  
  
This time Draco fully returned the smile. "Love your hair, by the way," he murmured before leaning in for another kiss.  
  
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There's a loooooooong explanation behind this chapter, but I won't bore anyone with the details. But there it is, a new chapter cranked out! Like I said before, I was freaking out because I thought I wouldn't get to post it. And then tonight I'm going to a Nickelback concert, and in the morning (like 7ish) we're leaving for San Antonio to pick up my sister and niece at the airport, so I would have tried to post this chapter at my grandmother's house tomorrow evening. But it all worked out, so yay! Please review! I really enjoy and appreciate your thoughts!  
  
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Anyway, I got so many lovely reviews for the last chapter that I just had to do some responses!  
  
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BURN THE R.U.M.: I think you've pretty much reviewed from the beginning, haven't you? I appreciate the loyalty, and I'm glad you're still enjoying the fic!  
  
cheesejunkiejane: A trip to America is a good idea.. I dunno about stranding them there over several holidays, though. I'd like to think the guys are capable enough to find a way back. Glad this gives you something to look forward to!  
  
Maiden of Mystery: Hehe, yeah, I actually came up with that line when I first started that chapter, so I had to tie something in so I could use it. Worked out nicely, ne?  
  
Lunadeath: I love your fics! Sorry, had to throw that in there. Well, my rating system is more bizarre than the usual. I rated it G because it was just a couple of kisses. I usually up it to PG if I throw in a swear word or something of the like. I dunno. I figure if people are reading slash, they're not really going to make a fuss over a G/PG rating. And yep yep, I'm gonna do some online research and see if I can find any more good holidays.  
  
soccer-chick250: Yeah, the formatting was off for a few hours, and then it fixed itself. Go figure. Bet it was fun filling in the blanks though! ^*^  
  
Jedi Suzuran: Formatting is all fixed now! And thanks!  
  
Micro-Chick: Wow! You mean there are more fics with chapters independent of one another? If you know of any, please send em my way! Thanks for the compliment! I do what I can...  
  
Andy: Glad you're enjoying this fic, as well as some of my others. I've always been iffy about writing sex scenes. I dunno, I just like to keep things light and fluffy. I won't rule it out as a future endeavor, though.  
  
GoddessMoonLady: You know, that's actually a pretty good idea! I'll definitely keep that in mind...  
  
flowerfunleah: Hmm, I've actually never heard of that movie. Is it something you could rent somewhere? And actually, I'm a straight arrow, but I'm extremely open-minded.  
  
Fushigi Himitsu: Birthdays! ::hits self over head repeatedly:: Of course, those would be the perfect holidays! One question, though. When is Draco's birthday? Anyone know?  
  
Wonapalei: What is the fifth of November? Wow, Guy Fawkes Day sounds wild! I'll add it into my list of ever-growing suggested holidays.  
  
Izzy: Bonfire Night? I don't remember that one. I'll think about it, though.  
  
Rebuky: Hmm, Mother's/Father's Day might not be such a good idea... I don't want anything to be too depressing. But I'll keep it in mind.  
  
MedNar: Thanks for the line! I'll keep writing!  
  
VirginSuicide: Bonfire Night was mentioned in the first book? Wow, I see I have some rereading to do! Graduation is also one I forgot. Thanks for the ideas!  
  
chelsea: Birthdays would be pretty fun, I think, so I'll most likely be doing those. But when is Draco's birthday?  
  
Layce74: Thanks! I try!  
  
Brenna8: Hehe, I really liked the Easter one, too.  
  
Tara: Wow, that's a lengthy list. Thanks for the suggestions!  
  
Thanks to everyone who read and/or reviewed! Double thanks to everyone who gave me holiday suggestions! I guess this means you all want me to continue writing... Well, as long as I keep coming up with the ideas, I'll keep cranking out the chapters! 


	8. Harry's Birthday

Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker  
  
Author: GrapeSmshr  
  
Rated: G to PG-13, depending on the chapter  
  
Coupling: HP/DM slashy goodness  
  
Updates: every Friday.  
  
Summary: H/D *slash* Everyone loves the holidays because love blooms. Each chapter is a different holiday in which Harry and Draco find romance. Eighth holiday: Harry's Birthday!!  
  
A/N: How stupid am I to have forgotten that birthdays are considered holidays? I'm just slapping myself for this one! But I do have to say that I had a bit of fun writing this holiday...  
  
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Holiday 8: Harry's Birthday  
  
Rated: PG  
  
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The party was in full swing by the time nine o'clock came and went. There were a couple dozen people present; not a huge turnout by most people's standards, but it was more than enough to please Harry Potter.  
  
"Hey, Har, come get in the picture!" Dean Thomas called over to Harry, beckoning him to join the group of posing Gryffindors.  
  
"All right!"  
  
Harry could not have been more shocked when he had been taken to a surprise party for his seventeenth birthday. Having defeated Voldemort the year before, Dumbledore saw no need to send Harry back to live with the abusive Dursleys. With the help of Remus Lupin, Harry had completed the emancipation process and moved into a flat in London, where he could have easy access to the Wizarding world. With his parents' inheritance, plus a hefty sum left to him by his godfather, Harry had more than enough money to sustain him for several years.  
  
When his friends showed up at his flat to take him to a swanky hotel party hall, Harry was on top of the world. His fellow soon-to-be-seventh year Gryffindors were all present, as well as a few upcoming sixth years. They were joined by some seventh year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Even Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson were there, as Harry had befriended the two Slytherins the year before. And so far, everyone was getting along quite rightly.  
  
As Harry sidled up next to Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, he slung his arms around their shoulders, inconspicuously making bunny ears just before Colin Creevey snapped the photo. The younger teen hid a smile as he moved on to take more pictures.  
  
"One month left of freedom, mate!" Ron exclaimed in a mixture of both excitement and disappointment, something only he could pull off. "And then it's back to having to learn." He made a face of disdain.  
  
"You make it sound like you're having to eat something Hagrid cooked," Hermione scolded the redhead, clucking her tongue indignantly. "This is our most important year coming up, and--"  
  
"Now, Hermione, remember you said you wouldn't talk about school?" Harry interrupted the girl before she could go off on a tangent.  
  
"Yes, but Ron was the one who--"  
  
"Hermione..."  
  
She sighed in defeat, knowing she wouldn't win this argument. "All right, no talking about school."  
  
"That's my girl." Harry gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before moving on to mingle with Terry Boot and Ernie Macmillan. After talking Quidditch for a few moments, Harry joined Blaise and Pansy over at the edge of the dance floor. "Enjoying yourselves?"  
  
Pansy waved her hands emphatically to the groups around her. "When I made friends with you, I wasn't aware I would have to be mingling with all of these other--"  
  
"Pansy, play nice," Blaise interrupted her would-be insult. To Harry he said, "I'm not going to lie and say she didn't mean it, because I'm sure she did. But she *has* been trying."  
  
"Thank you, Blaise, for that oh-so-wonderful compliment." Pansy thumped him on the back of the head, earning herself a glare.  
  
Turning away from the blonde girl, Blaise said, "Draco sends his birthday wishes."  
  
"He won't be joining us, then?"  
  
Blaise pushed a lock of dark hair out of his eyes. "He had something to do."  
  
"Oh, ok." Harry couldn't say that he wasn't disappointed, because he was. In the span of the past year, he had grown closer to the blonde. Not emotionally, and definitely not physically, although Harry still had his hopes. No, they were connected by a stronger power, a mystical tie between the two. They were kindred spirits in their misery until the fall of Voldemort had freed them both. But ever since then... All Harry needed was to be in the same room with Draco, and that was enough for him to know that he had fallen for the steel-eyed Slytherin, fast and hard. He sometimes wondered if everyone else were aware, his feelings were so intense.  
  
Exchanging an amused glance with Blaise, Pansy placed a hand on Harry's arm and said, "The night is still young. Go have some fun."  
  
Face lighting up with a smile, Harry asked her, "Would that include a dance?"  
  
"With me?" At his nod, she shrugged. "Why not. Lead the way." Linking arms, the two joined the other dancing couples.  
  
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An hour and several dances later, Harry was still having the time of his life. He had spent most of the night talking with everyone, enjoying his very first surprise party. Hell, this was his first birthday party in general!  
  
"I'm having a great time," Harry was saying to Ron and Hermione, who beamed at him. They were the ones that had pretty much gotten the whole party together.  
  
"We're happy to hear that. But the night isn't over, yet..." Hermione motioned for Harry to turn around.  
  
He did so, then blinked. Being wheeled into the room was a cake, a giant tiered cake that was almost as tall as him! There were candles on every tier, flickering brightly. Guys, you really outdid yourselves..."  
  
"Go ahead, Harry, make a wish!" Seamus Finnigan called out.  
  
Closing his eyes, Harry paused for a moment as he made a wish. Eyes open once again, he blew out the candles, circling the cake to make sure he got them all. As everyone cheered, he swiped a finger across the white frosting and licked it off. "Delicious," he murmured.  
  
"You haven't seen delicious yet," Blaise corrected with a grin.  
  
Before Harry could ask what he meant by that comment, there was a loud popping noise, followed by a shower of glittering confetti. He watched as the top of the cake burst open, revealing a person.  
  
Draco Malfoy. A half-naked Draco Malfoy. With a very pale, muscular torso, brilliantly sculpted arms, and the sexiest smirk Harry had ever seen on another person.  
  
Letting out a jagged breath, Harry whispered, "Just what I wished for."  
  
Draco, having heard Harry's words, gracefully hopped down from the cake and now stood in front of the awed Gryffindor birthday boy, smiling broadly. "Surprised?" he asked in his liquid drawl.  
  
"How--why--" Harry couldn't even form a sentence he was so shocked. Elated, absolutely, but shocked nonetheless.  
  
"It was Blaise's idea, actually."  
  
Harry shot Blaise a look of wonderment, then turned back to the blonde before him.  
  
"He figured it would be the perfect surprise," Draco explained. "I agreed."  
  
"So, you mean..."  
  
"I think everyone knows what I mean," he replied before grabbing the ravenhead's shoulders and pulling him into a kiss.  
  
Draco's lips were hot and cold, rough and gentle, so many different sensations that made Harry's mind whirl. It was everything he imagined and everything he hadn't. And best of all, it was actually happening.  
  
As Draco made to pull away, Harry grabbed the back of his head and pulled him back into a blood-boiling kiss that left both of them panting.  
  
"I knew you wanted me, Potter, but not this badly," Draco teased between breaths.  
  
"I'm not the one who jumped out of a cake half-dressed," Harry pointed out, arms wrapping around the blonde's waist.  
  
"Hmm, you're right." Leaning in close, Draco whispered against Harry's ear, "So, are you enjoying your party?"  
  
Harry buried his face in the crook of Draco's neck, kissing the tender skin softly. "More so now," came his muffled reply.  
  
Draco chuckled low in his throat, pulling the ravenhead more tightly into the embrace. "Happy birthday, Harry."  
  
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How many people saw that one from a mile away? ::sees myriad of raised hands:: That many? Good! I wrote this chapter pretty fast. Guess that's what happens when you get inspired! ^*^ Let's just hope the next chapter gets cranked out like this one did. I'm going to have a killer week next week (Human Societies test on Wednesday and Friday--a double parter; Drug Use & Abuse test on Thursday; Populations proposal due on Friday; recital day in Piano on Thursday). See? Long week. But I will try my absolute hardest to get the next chapter out on time. Dunno if I will, since it's Halloween and I'll be busy dressing up in my costume for work, so I think I'll post on Saturday. Just wanted to give you some heads up!  
  
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And now for my thanks...  
  
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Baby Sphinx: Thanks for that link! I've been looking for a good site for info but hadn't come up with anything really good. That site you sent me helped out bunches!  
  
GoddessMoonLady: Hehe, yeah, I love Aprils Fools' Day, even though I'm usually the one getting pranked... And as much as I'd love to throw in a lovely R moment, I want to keep everything PG-13 and under (but that's not saying that I won't throw in a little nudity here and there).  
  
Wonapalei: That's a good idea. I need to study up on my zodiacs to see what would fit Draco best...  
  
Chelsea: Graduation! ::smacks head:: How on earth do I not remember these days myself? Honestly... Great suggestion! I'll definitely do that one. And if you do find that website with Draco's b-day, please please please let me know!  
  
soccer-chick250: Oh, no worries... I've gotten so many great suggestions that I think this fic will be continued for a while.  
  
BURN THE R.U.M.: May Day... Hasn't been suggested before. I'll add it to the list. And thanks for reading (and reviewing)! It's always nice to have a loyal fan!  
  
Lunadeath: Honestly, I have no idea where the blue hair idea came from. I have a friend with blue hair, but it was intentional. Ehh, think I'll have to turn down the puppy offer... My kitty doesn't play well with others.  
  
Tikindi Dragon: Of course I don't mind you saying so. I thrive on it, actually! Thanks for the holiday suggestions!  
  
MedNar: Actually, I noticed too that this chapter kinda veered off from the normal path. Dunno where the idea came from. But I kinda like how every chapter is not formatted the same way. Keeps things interesting. Or maybe I was just tired when I wrote this chapter. Who knows? ~*^  
  
luin-lote: Oh yeah, I can definitely see Harry with blue hair... ::starts drooling:: Anyway, I plan on writing the chapters as long as I keep getting ideas!  
  
Devil Joe: Hey, thanks for the list of holidays! There were some new ones in there that I will definitely consider!  
  
MPPRluver: That's actually a pretty good idea. Sometimes the less major holidays are the most fun ones. I was actually thinking about Arbor Day a while back.  
  
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Thanks to everyone I mentioned above and everyone else who read this chapter! I do so appreciate and love you all! One hundred reviews! I just hit one hundred reviews and couldn't be more ecstatic!! You guys are awesome! 


	9. Bonfire Night

Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker  
  
Author: GrapeSmshr  
  
Rated: G to PG-13, depending on the chapter  
  
Coupling: HP/DM slashy goodness  
  
Updates: every Friday.  
  
Summary: H/D *slash* Everyone loves the holidays because love blooms. Each chapter is a different holiday in which Harry and Draco find romance. Ninth holiday: Bonfire Night!!  
  
A/N: I know I usually update every Friday, but yesterday was Halloween, so I figured everyone would be too busy to read. Plus I just got out of a week of three tests and a paper proposal, so I was kind of tired. But here it is, the next installment!  
  
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Holiday 9: Bonfire Night  
  
Rated: PG-13  
  
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Grumbling under his breath, Harry Potter skulked around the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. "It's a damned forest. How hard could it be to find some fallen branches?" he growled in annoyance.  
  
Out of his group, he still didn't know how he was nominated to find more firewood. He assumed everyone else was too scared to get near the Forest. Harry couldn't blame them, but he cursed them thoroughly because he was having no luck. "Where the hell are those bloody branches?"  
  
"Aww, is poor little Harry Potter having trouble finding wood in a forest?"  
  
Harry didn't even have to look up; he recognized the owner's voice. "Sod off, Malfoy."  
  
Throwing a smirk at Harry's back, Draco Malfoy crunched through the crackling leaves until he faced the Gryffindor. "Great comeback, Potter."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes, clutching tightly in his fist the few twigs he had managed to find. "Is there something you wanted?"  
  
Throwing a pointed glance at Harry, Draco's face once again took on a mask of haughtiness. "The Slytherin bonfire will be superior to your puny Gryffindork bonfire."  
  
Snorting, Harry went back to searching the ground. "Dream on, Malfoy. You're going down."  
  
"Don't you wish," Draco sniffed disdainfully before disappearing in the other direction.  
  
"He thinks he'll beat me out? I don't think so." With a renewed spirit, Harry continued on his search.  
  
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Twenty minutes and an armload of kindling later, Harry returned to the group of Gryffindors and dumped the branches on their already large pile.  
  
"This year we're going to win," Dean Thomas declared confidently.  
  
"We have to defend our title, don't we?" Lavender Brown said with determination as she stacked the wood up unto a pyramid. Normally she wasn't one to get dirty, but Bonfire Night was an exception, especially since Dumbledore implemented a contest last year awarding one hundred points to the House who made the biggest and most impressive bonfire. It was all safety controlled, of course, and only sixth and seventh years were allowed to participate.  
  
"That we do," Harry agreed as he glanced across the way to the Slytherins. Draco was standing off to the side, pointing and barking out orders. Then he turned and met Harry's gaze. Surprise flashed across his face before he smirked, then went back to instructing his group.  
  
Taking the lead, Harry began assigning where to put what so that when their bonfire was finally lit, it would reach maximum effectiveness. There was no way Slytherin's bonfire would be better! "We have only ten minutes, so everyone snap it up! It looks great so far!"  
  
As a chilly breeze wafted over them, Harry shivered. He moved to pull his knit cap down further over his ears, but his hands touched his hair. Patting the top of his head, Harry found that his cap was gone. He must have dropped it in the Forest and not noticed. "Guys, I'll be right back," he called to them before jogging off toward the Forest.  
  
After a few minutes of searching the ground, he still hadn't found his cap. He was about to give up when a voice from behind drawled, "Looking for this?"  
  
Harry whirled around to see Draco leering at him, the lost knit cap in his hands. "As a matter of fact, I am. Give it here." He held out his hand, chilly fingers trembling slightly. When Draco made no move to hand over the cap, Harry sighed impatiently and said, "Give me the bloody cap. It's cold out here."  
  
One eyebrow raising delicately, Draco answered, "There are other ways to get warm, you know."  
  
Did Harry actually hear that? He blanched, at a complete loss for words. What was he supposed to say after Draco made such a blatantly sexual comment? "I'm not looking for you to warm me up, Malfoy."  
  
"Why, Potter, I was suggesting you use a scarf and gloves. Where exactly is *your* mind at?" Draco asked seemingly innocently, eyes glinting.  
  
Feeling his face flush, Harry stepped forward and snatched his face from Draco. Give me that," he said irritably before stomping off, slamming the cap on his head.  
  
Laughing, Draco called after him," Come on, Potter, light my fire."  
  
Ignoring the blonde, Harry walked stiffly back to his fellow Gryffindors, who were busy bustling about with last-minute adjustments. Standing off to the side, Harry's mind was reeling over the bizarre exchange with Draco. Had the blonde found out about Harry's feelings for him? No, he couldn't have. The only people who knew were Hermione and Ron, and they would never tell anyone. Perhaps, then... the Slytherin may also have some hidden feelings?  
  
He once again glanced over to the group of Slytherins. This time, his eyes met liquid steel. Draco had apparently been staring at him, making no effort to avert his gaze. Harry must have looked confused because a moment later the corners of Draco's mouth curled upward in a brief yet genuine smile before he turned away.  
  
Harry blinked, even more lost than before. Was Draco trying to distract him from the task at hand? Because it was definitely working. Shrugging it off, he joined his group and began helping with the finishing touches.  
  
A few minutes later Dumbledore's voice boomed out, "Time's up! Would everyone please step away from their bonfires?" He waited for everyone to do so, then continued. "I see four great bonfires tonight, each impressive in its own right. No doubt they will be spectacular once lit by your head of House."  
  
He beamed at each group. "I am extremely impressed by the way all Houses are making an effort to get along." Harry could've sworn Dumbledore was looking at him when he said that. "It is important for us to remember to keep civilities at a maximum so as to keep conflict at a minimum. After all, we can always use Guy Fawkes as an example. Had he not been a squib, he might have done more serious damage than just attempting to blow up the Parliament building so many years ago." His eyes took on that familiar twinkle. "That is why we celebrate this night, to bring everyone together."  
  
"That, and to beat the Slytherins," Seamus Finnigan joked under his breath, earning a few snorts of muffled laughter from the other Gryffindors.  
  
"Now then, would the heads of each House please be at the ready?"  
  
The Gryffindors made room for Professor McGonagall to approach their bonfire, her wand out.  
  
"On my word," Dumbledore commanded. After a pause he said, "Now."  
  
Everyone watched as their respective bonfires were lit. The flames started at the bottom, then quickly consumed the brittle branches and blazed spectacularly toward the night sky.  
  
Rounding the bonfire to an unoccupied space, Harry pulled his cap down further and raised his hands to warm them in the billowing heat.  
  
"Still cold?"  
  
Harry sighed, not turning around.  
  
Standing beside him, Draco said conversationally, "There are other ways to warm up, you know."  
  
"I don't have any gloves or anything, Malfoy."  
  
"Oh, I wasn't talking about that," he answered as he grabbed an unsuspecting Harry and pulled him so that their bodies were flat against each other. Before Harry could question him, Draco leaned in and captured Harry's lips with his own.  
  
Instantly responding, Harry eagerly fell deeper and deeper into the kiss, lips searing from the raw passion they were both offering the other. As their mouths met over and over again, their hands found each other and twined together, tightly squeezing in an attempt to restore warmth.  
  
Harry briefly thought he heard Dumbledore announce Gryffindor's win, followed by loud cheering, but he really wasn't paying that much attention to the background noise. Even as the fireworks began to explode in the sky, he paid them no mind. He was too entranced by the blonde in his arms, the one that was clutching his hands in a viselike grip and claiming Harry's mouth as his own, which Harry gave willingly.  
  
As Draco pulled back, he pressed his warm lips to Harry's neck, biting down slightly before nuzzling the skin at the curve of Harry's jaw.  
  
Grinning, Harry teased, "Who's lighting whose fire now?"  
  
Draco's mouth curled into a smile against Harry's neck. "Forget the fire. It's an inferno now," he answered before claiming Harry's lips once again to emphasize his point.  
  
Harry couldn't agree more.  
  
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I apologize if I messed up any details about the actual Guy Fawkes ordeal. I threw in that squib part just for a kick. If anyone is offended, well, I didn't mean for it to be offensive. Hey, did anyone catch my Doors reference? I so had to throw it in there. Well, I hope everyone liked this holiday! I'll try my hardest to have the next one up in time. This week I have a Population test, and I still have to work on my Piano piece, so it's busy busy for me. Anyway, please review! They really do make my day. And at this rate, I could use a nice pick-me-up. I love you guys! 


	10. Draco's Birthday

Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker  
  
Author: GrapeSmshr  
  
Rated: G to PG-13, depending on the chapter  
  
Coupling: HP/DM slashy goodness  
  
Updates: every Friday.  
  
Summary: H/D *slash* Everyone loves the holidays because love blooms. Each chapter is a different holiday in which Harry and Draco find romance. Tenth holiday: Draco's Birthday!  
  
A/N: I honestly didn't think I'd have this chapter out on time. I know a lot of you will have comments on this one... Unlike the other holidays, this one is like a mini-fic. I think I'm going to write an entirely separate fic based on the plot of this holiday...  
  
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Holiday 10: Draco's Birthday  
  
Rated: PG-13  
  
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Taking another step, Draco Malfoy made a face as his boot sank almost knee-deep in a snowbank. Pulling his foot back out, he shook off the snow and veered off in a new direction. Shivering in the cold wind, he pulled his coat around him more tightly, burying his gloved hands deep in his pockets.  
  
It was two days after Christmas, and Hogwarts was eerily quiet with the absence of the student who left for winter break. Oh, how Draco wished he were one of them. His parents were off on some grand vacation, which was actually a cover-up for a mission the Ministry of Magic sent them on. Since the fall of Voldemort last year and the revelation that the Malfoys were in fact spies for the Order, they had been sent on missions more and more frequently, leaving Draco alone for the holidays.  
  
And what a day to be alone. Two days after Christmas. December twenty-seventh. His birthday. He was celebrating his seventeenth birthday alone. Sure, his parents had sent gifts via owl post, but it really wasn't the same. The whole of Slytherin was gone, save a handful of first and second years that Draco would soon rather avoid. He really should have accepted Blaise's invitation to spend the winter break with the Zabinis.  
  
But no, he had declined for no reason at all. And now he was celebrating his birthday all by himself, something he had never done before. His parents had always thrown him extravagant parties with tons of guests and great food. But this year, nothing. It really was quite depressing.  
  
Had he liked more people in other Houses, he would have found someone to pass the time with. But he was Draco Malfoy, and he didn't really care to spend time with people other than his fellow Slytherins.  
  
Unless that person happened to be Harry Potter.  
  
Combining every irony in both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds would not explain just how Draco had taken to fancying the Gryffindor golden boy. It was something even he didn't understand. Harry Potter was annoying, moody, dense, and a Gryffindor, all strikes in Draco's book. At least, for the usual victim. But Harry was also fiercely loyal, dependable, and very nice to look at. It didn't take much to understand why his fan club was so populated.  
  
But as far as he was concerned, his feelings were a lost cause. There was no way they would be returned. Sure, Harry had been civil toward him on recent occasions, pleasant even, but Draco chalked it up to temporary forgetfulness of the fact that they were enemies. Supposed enemies, at least. If Draco got his way, he would remedy that.  
  
Sighing deeply, he pushed a stray lock of hair out of his eyes as he continued to crunch through the ice.  
  
Out of nowhere, he was smacked in the back of the head. Stopping himself from pitching forward, he felt a searing cold drip down his neck. Snow. Someone had thrown a snowball at him!  
  
Turning around to face his assailant, he was met with another snowball right in the face. Spluttering, Draco wiped the icy slush out of his eyes, pausing at the sound of familiar laughter. Was that...?  
  
Chuckles giving way to a broad grin, Harry Potter approached a still unmoving Draco. "Hey, Malfoy, you look cold."  
  
Gathering his wits, Draco retorted, "In my defense, I was just bombarded with two snowballs that you so graciously threw."  
  
"Oh, I thought you might want to have a snowball fight. Too bad..." he sighed with mock disappointment. Then his face contorted into seriousness. "That's actually not the reason I'm here."  
  
Hmm, Harry Potter on a mission? Draco was most intrigued. But what could Harry possibly have to say to *him*?  
  
Sensing the unasked question, Harry reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a long, slender black box. Holding it out toward the curious blonde, he said, "Happy birthday, Draco."  
  
Draco blinked once. Twice. He was frozen, couldn't move, and not from the cold. Was this really happening? He regarded the scene before him with shock, wonderment, and disbelief. Harry Potter wanted to give him a birthday gift? Harry actually knew it was his birthday? That was unbelievable!  
  
And yet he believed it.  
  
Almost unconsciously, Draco reached up and took the offered box, holding it before him. "Why?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "I know what it's like to be alone for your birthday," he answered after a pregnant pause. "My Muggle relatives don't exactly celebrate the fact that I was born. Figured you could use some company, even if it is me."  
  
Oh, but how right he was. The ever noble Gryffindor was trying to make him feel better. Under normal circumstances, Draco would have just told him to sod off. But now they had no audience, no friends around to keep up appearances, so they were allowed to let their guards slip a little.  
  
Or a lot.  
  
Draco must have been contemplating for quite some time because Harry finally nodded to the box. "Aren't you going to open it?"  
  
"Oh. Right." Draco's face flushed, but the extra tinge of pink went unnoticed in the bitter cold. Prying off the lid to the box, Draco moved a layer of red tissue paper and then gasped softly.  
  
Slowly taking off his glove, he stuffed that and the box in his pocket, but not before taking out the gift. It was a flat stone, black in color and about an inch in circumference, cool to the touch, and attached to a thin black rope cord. He held the stone against his palm, almost in awe. He thought he knew what it was. If he were right... "You do know what this is, right?"  
  
Harry slowly shook his head. "Not exactly.  
  
Draco closed his fist around it. "It's a fertility stone, used to make you more virile."  
  
"A what? Make you what?" Harry's eyes were so wide with disbelief that Draco wondered briefly if his eyeballs would pop out of their sockets. "I didn't--I mean, I found--I just--"  
  
Watching Harry stutter for a moment, Draco finally couldn't hold a straight face any longer. He burst into laughter, loud and deep, something he hadn't done in a very long time. "I'm only kidding, Potter," he made out between gasps of breath. "It's not for fertility."  
  
Harry harrumphed, but curiousity quickly replaced his annoyance at the blonde. "Then what is it for?"  
  
Opening his fist to gaze at the stone, Draco murmured, "I'm not certain, but I think it's a power stone. It's supposed to make your magic stronger by honing in on your physical capabilities and your emotions." He turned to meet Harry's eyes. "They are extremely rare. Where did you get something like this?"  
  
"From Remus Lupin," Harry said, obviously blown away by this news. "He said he just found them in his attic. They belonged to my parents."  
  
"They?"  
  
Reaching into his shirt, Harry pulled out a stone that matched Draco's in every way except its pearly white color. "I have one also."  
  
Stepping closer, Draco took the stone out of Harry's hand, pulling the ravenhead with him since the cord was around his neck. He held the black stone up next to the white one, examining them closely. Maybe he was imagining things, but he almost felt... this vibration, this humming of energy coming from the two stones.  
  
Harry must have felt something also because he drew in a breath, the smallest of shivers going down his spine.  
  
Releasing the white stone, Draco took a step back. This was some intense magic, he could feel it. Even from that tiny glimmer of energy, he felt it.  
  
But not now.  
  
He looked at the stone that just sat in his hand. No energy, no vibration, not even a little tickle. There was some magic much bigger than he had ever experienced, he imagined, hidden in those two tiny stones. Which was why he did what he did next. "Here. I can't accept this."  
  
The briefest flash of surprise flitted across Harry's face before it disappeared. His eyes flicked to Draco's outstretched hand, the black stone sitting against pale skin. Reaching out, Harry's gloved hand cupped Draco's, closing the blonde's fingers around the stone. "It's a birthday gift. I want you to have it."  
  
Now it was Draco's turn to be surprised. He met Harry's gaze. "Are you sure?"  
  
Gently opening the blonde's fist, Harry took the stone from him. Then he leaned in and put the cord around Draco's neck. His fingers strayed against the pale skin of the Slytherin's jugular before sliding down to his shoulder, making a mental note of the way the blonde leaned into the touch. "I'm sure."  
  
Before Draco knew what was happening, he was pulled into the arms of one Harry Potter. As Harry's lips brushed gently against his, realization hit him as to just what was happening. He wrapped his arms around Harry's body, pressing himself further into the kiss with a passion he never knew he possessed. A low moan escaped as Harry's tongue did wonderful things to his own. It seemed Gryffindors weren't *all* innocent and naïve.  
  
Pulling Harry even more tightly against him, Draco's mouth felt like it was on fire. So did his body, actually. He could feel rather than see all of these waves of energy floating around him, engulfing him, drowning him in power. He didn't want the feeling to end, it was so sublime...  
  
But it did, as soon as Harry's lips broke contact with his own.  
  
"Draco..." Harry whispered in an awed tone, eyes wide.  
  
Following the Gryffindor's gaze, Draco's eyes widened also. All around them, in a perfect circle with a good five-foot radius, all of the snow had melted and virtually disappeared. "What the..."  
  
"I think we need to do some research on these stones," Harry murmured solemnly.  
  
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Fifteen minutes later found them in the library. They were the only ones in there save Madam Pince, who was paying them no heed for once. Harry suspected the old biddy was asleep. Thank Merlin for small favors.  
  
Between the two of them, they had a good dozen books scattered all over the table. Some were closed, some dog-eared, and all giving the same information, which wasn't much.  
  
"I give up," Draco complained, closing his book and leaning back in his seat with a scowl of frustration.  
  
"We'll find it soon," Harry answered absently as he flipped through a rather large book with brittle, dusty pages. To be truthful, he was also growing a bit weary of their situation. Would they ever find anything?  
  
"I don't even know why we bother," Draco continued ranting, waving his hands for emphasis. "It's not like we're finding anything useful." He glanced at the Gryffindor when he got no response. It didn't even look like Harry was paying attention to him! "Am I just talking here, or--"  
  
"I found it," Harry interrupted suddenly.  
  
"What?"  
  
Pushing the stacks of books out of the way, Harry scooted the book he was reading so that Draco could see it. "Right here."  
  
As Draco leaned in closer, he began to read. "Power stones have been around since the early twelfth century, when they were used for battle. Having long since been studied, they are understood to hold a much more specific use than once realized. While they do quantifiably magnify the holder's strength in both mental and physical capacities, there are some stipulations to its use. Stipulations?" Draco wrinkled his nose. He should have known there would be rules to using something like this.  
  
"Keep reading," Harry urged, knowing what the text said.  
  
Turning back to the book, the blonde continued on. "Power stones are made in pairs. These pairs cannot be separated from one another for long before their keepers begin to feel an uncomfortable sensation, followed by a series of symptoms that can include but are not limited to headache, fatigue, severe convulsions, even death. If one keeper dies, the keeper of the linked stone does not also die, but both stones are deactivated. This is why they are made to be passed down in a family. In the majority of instances, the keepers of the stones are married, which aids in the prevention of being separated for mass quantities of time. A receiver of the stone may break the connection by giving his stone back to the person whom he had received it from. If an outsider comes in possession of the stone, he would not, under any circumstances, be able to use it unless it was specifically and deliberately bestowed upon him as a gift. That would explain why I felt what I felt," Draco muttered more to himself than to Harry.  
  
His mind was positively reeling from all of this newfound information. First and foremost, he was kissed by Harry Potter! That fact alone was enough to make his heart start racing. But on top of that, he now possessed a magical power stone that bound him to the object of his desire! Sure, there were obvious downsides, namely the headaches and a possible untimely death, but he wasn't planning on spending any time apart from Harry. Then again, maybe Harry didn't feel the same way...  
  
"We're bound to one another now," Harry said slowly, each word weighed down with the meaning of his thought. When Remus had given him the two stones, Harry just thought they were pretty. He never would have imagined they would lead to something like this! Of course, he wasn't one to complain. He couldn't think of another person he would rather spend the rest of his life with, which he knew they would. He glanced over at the blonde, who was sporting a troubled look. He raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Maybe... maybe you made a mistake in giving me this power stone," Draco started, struggling with the words. "I mean, now we're going to have to stay together. It might be... a burden."  
  
Harry could feel his heart melt. That was so sweet how Draco didn't want Harry to get roped into something he didn't want when the blonde obviously felt strongly for him. Harry could read him like a book. It was a skill he had picked up after studying he Slytherin intently over the past several months. "Draco, I didn't make a mistake. Not unless you were planning on taking the power stone and running with it."  
  
At the lighthearted teasing, Draco's eyes lit up. He knew that was Harry's way of giving him the reassurance he had been looking for. Shaking his head, he murmured, "No, I plan on sticking around." And with that, he leaned in and pressed his lips to Harry's, sighing blissfully as the ravenhead stroked his chest in long sweeps.  
  
"Are you convinced now?" Harry asked once the kiss ended. His hand still rested possessively against the blonde's chest.  
  
"Oh, I think so. But I may need more... convincing later." Draco smiled wickedly as Harry laughed. "I must say that this is the best birthday gift I have ever received."  
  
"What? The stone?"  
  
"No; you." And Draco kissed him with such passion that there was room for no doubt that the two would indeed stay together.  
  
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Wow. Ten chapters already! You guys are so awesome in helping me brainstorm more holidays! I must say that this is the most consistency I have ever displayed at posting a fic. I'm having so much fun writing! Thanks for all of the reviews from last chapter! To respond to a few things:  
  
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Maiden of Mystery: Yay, happy you're back to reading! I know, these last few chapters have taken a different turn from the others...  
  
funflowerleah: Believe me, I appreciate the constructive criticism just as much as I appreciate the reviews!  
  
BURN THE R.U.M.: Well, it did have that oh-so-cute moment with a snog by the fire... I know that's why *I* liked that chapter so much!  
  
Estrella de la Tarde: Thanks for all of the holiday suggestions! I'm actually contemplating an "ethnic week" for Hogwarts so I can throw in a few American holidays, too. Still working out the kinks on that idea, though...  
  
Moondragon: Love the name change!  
  
Dorkie: Thanks! It's easy to write cutely when the subjects are just so adorable...  
  
Dea Liberty: I dunno if I want to get into the Saint holidays... I know, St. Patrick's day, but that one is pretty famously celebrated. I'll have to do some research.  
  
Sylvia Sylverton: All I have to say is that it was about time someone made Harry the one that speaks out about comments with sexual undertones!  
  
ciceronian: Hehe, thanks. I'm having so much fun writing these chapters!  
  
Starr Light1: I couldn't very well leave out Draco, could I? Not in thie lifetime!  
  
Lunadeath: Ooh, that's a good idea! A picture of them half in shadows with the fire dancing behind them... Definitely gives me the urge to draw it!  
  
soccer-chick250: Oh, I completely agree. Well, I change their personalities because I think it's boring just to always write them the same way. This way, I get to see which personalities work best with my writing style.  
  
MedNar: You don't have to tell me. I live it Texas! South Texas. Coastal Texas. Believe me, I'm more than familiar with the weather. Great heat, ne? What city do your grandparents live in?  
  
Baby Sphinx: Hehe, thanks, I try.  
  
Alexis-Greenleaf: Well, it's not actually a recital. We just play in class every so often, and my pieces are fairly simple. Most of them are written by the man who wrote the book we're using. I'm going to try for a Bach piece for my final, I think.  
  
Layce74: Thanks! I've never seen anything like this done before, and I was inspired.  
  
Brad: Thanks! I definitely go for cuteness.  
  
GoddessMoonLady: Great suggestion! Unfortunately, I had this thing halfway written by the time you reviewed. But that would definitely make a cute Draco b-day fic!  
  
GlowStick: Each chapter stands by itself, so in each holiday they're still single at the beginning. Just think of them as several mini-fics.  
  
Esmerelda Black: Speak like a pirate day? Hehe, that would be pretty hilarious. Maybe after I'm done with all of the actual holidays I could make a few up! What a great idea! Thanks for that!  
  
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Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed! I do so love all of your words of encouragement. I even appreciate your criticisms (given that they're not mean, but I haven't received any like that yet!). I'll keep on writing as long as people are still reading, so I hope you continue to enjoy this fic! Until next week! 


	11. Friday the 13th

Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker  
  
Author: GrapeSmshr  
  
Rated: G to PG-13, depending on the chapter  
  
Coupling: HP/DM slashy goodness  
  
Updates: every Friday.  
  
Summary: H/D *slash* Everyone loves the holidays because love blooms. Each chapter is a different holiday in which Harry and Draco find romance. Eleventh holiday: Friday the 13th!  
  
A/N: I know this chapter is up 3 days late... I had a 9 page paper due in Population Friday, so I spent virtually the entire week (20+ hours) working on the sucker to get it done. :: grumbles:: Whose brilliant idea was it for me to go for a minor in Sociology, anyway? Moving on... I've been trying to post this chapter since Saturday, but it wouldn't let me. I dunno if ff.net isn't working, or if it's my comp. And since I just bought this comp 2 weeks ago, it had better be the site that's stupid. Anyway, I hope this chapter is up to par. I actually quite liked the way it turned out. Hope you guys do, too! Thanks to demonic angel for the holiday suggestion!  
  
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Holiday 11: Friday the 13th  
  
Rated: PG-13  
  
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Harry Potter was not graceful. He stumbled when walking, veered off when he ran, and had little to no coordination. The only time he was swanlike in nature was when he was in the air, flying about on his beloved Firebolt.  
  
So when, during an impromptu fly that morning, he had almost fallen off his broom twice and smashed into a goal ring, he knew something was wrong. Way wrong.  
  
Sure enough, one glance at the calendar told him all he needed to know. Today was Friday the 13th.  
  
He was not superstitious by any means. Never had been. Until now, that is. He didn't know what had happened to muck up his luck, but he wasn't about to go through the rest of the day without trying to fix whatever was affecting him.  
  
Which was why he was currently in the boys' bathroom in Gryffindor tower, brewing a good luck potion. The majority of the ingredients he had in a potions kit that Hermione had bought him for Christmas the past year, explaining that he could use the practice if he wanted to become an Auror. The other ingredients he had fished around for outside.  
  
Now in the last few steps, Harry added three tiny green four-leaf clovers and began stirring counterclockwise, thirteen strokes, counting each one aloud. "Eight, nine, ten..." His hand accidentally jerked and knocked over a jar of powdered beetle eyes. Reaching out, he deftly caught the jar just before it shattered on the ground, using speed that only a seeker possessed.  
  
Unfortunately, he had kept stirring without counting. As he stirred one time past thirteen, a rumbling noise came from the cauldron in front of him. He started to back away, but it was no use. The contents of the cauldron exploded, namely all over him.  
  
Harry cried out as the yellowish liquid covered him, burning his skin everywhere it touched. He watched in horror as the potion slowly was absorbed into his skin, leaning only a slightly tingling sensation. Uh oh, this was definitely not a good thing...  
  
Looking around at the mess before him, Harry grabbed his wand and said, "Scourgify." As the bathroom became clean once again, Harry sighed in relief. It seemed his luck might not be so bad after all.  
  
Leaving the bathroom, he tripped over the carpet and smashed headfirst into his bedpost, effectively knocking himself out.  
  
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"Do you think we should throw water on him?"  
  
"No, someone just needs to give him a swift kick up the--"  
  
"Seamus! Honestly!"  
  
Groaning as the loud voices penetrated the blackness, Harry slowly opened his eyes to see his dorm mates and Hermione Granger leaning over him. He slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, gripping his head as he did so.  
  
"Oh, Harry, you're all right!" Hermione cried as she threw her arms around him in relief. "We were just about to take you to the infirmary."  
  
"Yeah, Harry, what happened?" Ron Weasley asked curiously as he helped Harry stand up.  
  
What *did* happen? He must have forgotten, what with his aching head and all. Then he caught sight of the cauldron that had rolled halfway under his bed when he fell, and it all came flooding back to him. Burying his face in his hands, he moaned, "Backfired good luck potion."  
  
He uncovered his face just in time to see Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, and Neville Longbottom backing away from him.  
  
"Sorry, Harry, but I have enough bad luck of my own," Neville explained sheepishly as he dashed out of the boys' dorm.  
  
"Uh, us too!" Seamus grabbed Dean's arm and fled after Neville.  
  
Clucking her tongue in exasperation, Hermione sighed. "So much for their help." She turned to Ron, who was slowly but surely creating distance between Harry and himself. "Ronald Weasley!" she said sharply, causing the redhead to freeze.  
  
"I was just getting my bag," he answered lamely, grabbing his school bag and joining them again.  
  
Giving him a reproving glare, Hermione turned her attention back to Harry. "Well, we don't have time to make a potion to remedy this, so hopefully it'll just wear off by itself. Besides, how much harm could it cause?"  
  
For being the smartest student at Hogwarts, Hermione really was dense. By the time they made it out of Gryffindor tower and to the main entrance hall, Harry had smacked into three walls, tumbled down a flight of stairs, and almost got sliced in half when a suit of armor's axe suddenly dislodged itself. As they walked into the Great Hall, Harry was sporting a bruise on his left eye and leaning heavily against Ron as he limped over to the Gryffindor table.  
  
Everyone was staring at him. He couldn't blame them. He looked like he was used as someone's human punching bag. Felt like it, too.  
  
Putting some ice cubes in a napkin, Hermione gently pressed the icepack to Harry's bruise, causing him to wince. "Maybe we should go and see Madam Pomfrey," she suggested.  
  
Grabbing the icepack from her, Harry said vehemently, "I've already spent most of my schooling there! I don't want to go. Besides, she'll tell Professor Dumbledore."  
  
Shaking his head in amusement, Ron replied, "He already knows, mate. He is Dumbledore, after all."  
  
Reluctantly, Harry glanced up at the staff table. Sure enough, the headmaster was staring at him, a twinkle in his eyes. Looking away, Harry's gaze fell upon Professor Snape, who was also staring at him. Harry scowled and looked away. "You're right," he sighed. "But I still don't want to go to the infirmary. Maybe the potion will wear off, like Hermione said."  
  
Oh, he couldn't have been more wrong.  
  
Their first class that morning happened to be Charms with the Ravenclaws. Harry actually made it there in one piece, having been flanked by Ron and Hermione the entire way. The swelling on his eye had gone down some, but it was still visibly bruised, so once again everyone was staring at him. That only worsened his sullen mood.  
  
For that week's lesson, Professor Flitwick had been teaching them to control water out of a container. Everything was going rather well for Harry. He was sending an arc of water back and forth between his hands. When Ron elbowed Harry's arm, though, the stream of water flew up and landed directly on Harry's head, soaking him straight through his clothes.  
  
After class ended and Hermione had magically dried Harry's off, it was time for Care of Magical Creatures. Because of his recent bout of clumsiness, Harry opted not to go because he didn't want to accidentally hurt whatever creature Hagrid had them dealing with. Surprisingly, Hermione agreed that this was probably for the best. She told Harry to meet Ron and her after class was over.  
  
So with a temporary luck spell cast by his friend, Harry managed to make it to the library without causing any bodily damage to himself or anyone else. When he set his bag down on an empty table, however, it fell over and knocked the contents of his bag all over the wooden surface with a clatter. That earned Harry a glare from Madam Pince, which he gave her a sheepish shrug before cleaning up the mess.  
  
Sitting down with his back to the door, Harry laid his head down on the table. He really did have rotten luck. He didn't need a backfired spell to help his clumsiness along. Being a walking disaster was not exactly fun.  
  
Now he knew what Neville felt like all the time.  
  
With a sigh, Harry sat up, only to be startled by a pair of silver eyes staring at him from across the table. "Can I help you?" he asked the Slytherin coolly.  
  
Draco Malfoy leaned back in his chair, continuing to stare at Harry, which the ravenhead found quite unnerving. He didn't say anything, only stared.  
  
"Honestly, Malfoy. I'm not in a zoo exhibit."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Quit staring at me." It was weird enough having Draco Malfoy just staring at him like that, but his face being devoid of any malice was not exactly normal. Then again, a lot of things haven't been normal.  
  
Harry couldn't remember the last time he and Draco had a row, it had been such a long time. He had actually gotten used to their daily spats. But for the past year, they really hadn't been fighting that much. Or at all, in fact.  
  
He didn't at the time, but now Harry missed the blonde's ever constant presence. He had always chalked it up to having wittier comebacks, but that wasn't it.  
  
He liked Draco. As in had a crush on him. His rival of so many years. If it wasn't so shocking, he would have found it comical.  
  
But it made sense to him, in a weird and twisted sort of way. For starters, the blonde was gorgeous. Harry knew it, Draco knew it, the whole school knew it. It was not to be denied. But it went so much deeper than looks.  
  
Harry had seen into Draco's soul. He knew what made Draco tick: what angered him, peeved him, made him happy. Sometimes he wondered if he knew Draco better than he knew his two best friends.  
  
And in a way, he supposed he did. That saying about keeping your enemies closer than your friends? Well, it definitely applied here. Except Harry was hoping for some physical closeness too.  
  
Which was what brought him back to reality. Draco had never answered, only kept right on staring. Growing frustrated, Harry blurted out, "Just say something!"  
  
"Where did you get that bruise?" Draco asked after pausing a moment.  
  
Of all the things he could have said... Harry really was in no mood to share his tale of stupidity. "It's none of your business," he snarled.  
  
Draco was not affronted by Harry's rising temper. He did, however, take the hint. Standing, he began walking away. He threw one last glance over his shoulder, smirked, and then disappeared out of the library.  
  
Harry was still staring at the door long after Draco left. That had most certainly been one of their most bizarre exchanges. But Harry didn't mind the bizarre.  
  
In fact, sometimes he preferred it.  
  
He sat there for a good half hour, letting his thoughts roam. Although each time they came back to the same topic. The Slytherin just had that effect on Harry, which posed no inconvenience to the Gryffindor.  
  
With a sigh, he stood and made his way out of the library. He had successfully wasted enough time for Care of Magical Creatures to be over, and now it was time for Potions.  
  
He met up with Ron and Hermione in the main hallway, and the trio began their trek down to the dungeons. The halls were only slightly crowded, as classes were about to start. The dungeons were never that crowded anyway because it was dark and damp, but mostly no one wanted to risk running into Snape.  
  
"So, you haven't had any more accidents?" Hermione asked Harry as they rounded a corner.  
  
Harry shook his head. "Not since Charms," he answered, not wanted to tell her about his klutz attack in the library.  
  
"Well, at least the day is almost halfway over, mate," Ron said encouragingly, patting Harry on the back rather hard.  
  
Catching himself, Harry turned to Ron and answered, "That's true." Not watching where he was going, he tripped on a loose stone and fell forward into someone's arms, locking lips with that person.  
  
Regaining his balance, Harry pushed himself out of the person's arms and then gasped loudly.  
  
Draco stood in front of him, not moving. He looked stunned. Not disgusted, not angry, just stunned.  
  
"I'm sorry. I mean, I didn't--" Harry couldn't finish a coherent thought. He glanced around and saw that a large handful of students had witnessed the scene. They were whispering amongst themselves, pointing excitedly. Growing panicked, Harry raced down the hall, ignoring the cries of his friends.  
  
Exchanging concerned looks, Ron and Hermione quickly followed. They knew of Harry's feelings for the Slytherin, so they could only imagine what was going through their friend's mind right now.  
  
When they got to the Potions classroom, Harry was sitting in his seat, staring down at the table. He didn't look up, not even when Draco took his seat next to Harry. He did feel his face heating up in a flush, though.  
  
Harry could feel those silver eyes gazing intently at him, but he didn't dare look up. That scene outside was just too embarrassing. Besides, he didn't want to see the sneer that would be aimed in his direction, or hear the inevitable teasing about his clumsy episode. So when Professor Snape walked in and started class at the moment, Harry was very much relieved.  
  
Not even two minutes into the class, Snape took points from Harry for not paying attention, even though Harry was listening while still staring at the table. Harry didn't even acknowledge the loss. A few minutes later, their potions were started, and Snape took off more points from Harry for obscure reasons. When he saw that he was getting no reaction from the Gryffindor, Snape grew quite irritated and moved on to yell at Neville, who always cowered in his presence.  
  
All that time, Draco was trying to catch Harry's eye, either intentionally or accidentally, but Harry never looked away from the table where he was chopping ingredients or the cauldron where he mixed them. "Potter," Draco said in a low tone, promptly being ignored. "Potter, we need to talk."  
  
But Harry jumped up and practically ran off to get more ingredients.  
  
Sighing in frustration, Draco pushed his hand through his platinum hair, disheveling it. But he didn't care. He really needed to talk to Harry.  
  
Quietly slipping over to where Blaise Zabini was working, Draco pulled his fellow Slytherin aside. "So?"  
  
"I overheard Finnigan say that Potter tried making a good luck potion this morning, and it backfired on him," Blaise divulged.  
  
"Ahhh... That explains why he was more clumsy than usual."  
  
Blaise watched as Draco's face contorted into a thoughtful expression as his brain worked furiously with this newfound information. He figured he was the only one that had ever seen Draco like that. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"  
  
Draco smirked at his longtime friend. "For your sake, I hope not. I might just have to hex you."  
  
Returning the smirk with one of his own, Blaise nodded in Harry's direction. "Go for it."  
  
"Oh, I intend to."  
  
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After that excruciatingly long Potions class, Harry bolted out of there as fast as his legs could carry him. He ran all the way to the Great Hall for lunch, where he ignored anyone who was not one of his best friends. He was well aware that the entirety of Hogwarts was watching and talking about him and Draco. At that school, gossip traveled faster than a golden snitch. At least Harry was used to people whispering and pointing, go he wasn't much bothered by that.   
  
But he still had a certain blonde to deal with...  
  
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It wasn't until after all classes were over for the day that Harry had his inevitable encounter with the Slytherin. He had managed to not hurt himself too much since lunch, but he could tell that this confrontation would most likely be painful.  
  
Of course, it happened just outside of the Great Hall, so many students were milling around since it was officially the weekend.  
  
"Hey Potter, we need to have a word," Draco's voice called out over the crowd, effectively causing Harry to stop in his departure with his friends.  
  
He turned around slowly, met eyes with Ron and Hermione, and then walked over to where Draco was standing. As the blonde just stared at him yet again, Harry wrung his hands nervously. "Malfoy, I--"  
  
"I know about your little... problem," Draco interrupted smoothly. "And I want to help."  
  
"Oh, I can't believe this..." Harry groaned, turning around to walk away. The last thing he wanted was to be humiliated in front of a crowd yet again.  
  
Before he could even take one step, he was whirled around. The next thing he knew, Draco's lips were on his. Harry opened his mouth in shock, only to find liquid being forced into his mouth from Draco's. Since Draco's lips were still clamped down firmly on his, Harry had no choice but to swallow. Then he pushed the blonde away, staring at him dazedly.  
  
"Good luck potion," Draco answered the unasked question. "Figured you could use it." Then he smiled, a rarity for him. "Twice in one day. I know *my* luck is improving."  
  
Harry only gaped at him, as did the rest of the spectators. It wasn't every day that the school's two most eligible students snogged in the halls--twice! And Malfoys were certainly not known for openly displaying positive feelings.  
  
"So what do you say?" Draco continued, stepping closer to the ravenhead. "Want to make sure the potion was effective?"  
  
Finally snapping out of his stupor, Harry grinned wickedly. He reached a hand up to the back of Draco's neck, pulling him into a lip-searing kiss that left the entire crowd breathless and fanning themselves.  
  
Pulling away just enough to speak, Draco asked, "Verdict?"  
  
Growling low in his throat, Harry said so that only Draco could hear, "I think we're both getting lucky tonight." His kiss washed away the look of surprise on Draco's face. "What do you know. I feel luckier already."  
  
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I happen to be a huuuuuuuuge fan of Fridays the 13th! They are very lucky days for me. I usually go out of my way to walk under ladders, cross paths with black cats (which isn't hard since I own one), open umbrellas indoors, etc. Quite fun! But I've never had one that was quite as fun as in this chapter... Too bad. I hope you guys enjoyed it, because I certainly enjoyed writing it! If the ending sounds familiar, it's because I'm borrowing an idea from Gia's fic, Nella Fantasia (if you haven't read it, check it out!)  
  
Please review! Your thoughts mean the world to me, and I do so love reading them! Sorry I'm not answering to individual reviews, but I've got lots of work to do.  
  
I also want to announce that for the next month, the chapters may be coming out a bit late. It's getting close to finals, and I not only have to worry about studying, but I also have a project due in Drug Use and Abuse in a few weeks, not to mention practicing for my Piano final. So I'll be a very busy little bee. And, of course, Christmas shopping and planning my birthday (which just so happens to fall on the last day of finals... lucky me). So please be patient if the chapters aren't posted on Fridays or possibly even Saturdays. I'll try my best to get them out on time, but I may not succeed. 


	12. The Approach of Summer

Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker  
  
Author: GrapeSmshr  
  
Rated: G to PG-13, depending on the chapter  
  
Coupling: HP/DM slashy goodness  
  
Updates: every Friday.  
  
Summary: H/D *slash* Everyone loves the holidays because love blooms. Each chapter is a different holiday in which Harry and Draco find romance. Twelfth holiday: the Approach of Summer!  
  
A/N: I know you're all probly thinking, what the hell does summer have to do with anything? But, you know, summer holiday, or something like that. I was originally going to write a short chapter, but I just couldn't pass up on this ending. Hope you're all equally amused!  
  
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Holiday 12: The Approach of Summer  
  
Rated: PG-13  
  
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It was one of those days that could only be referred to as a scorcher. With the sun's rays beating unrelentingly down from the sky, it easily felt like the flames of Hell were trying to take over the Earth.  
  
Finals were mere days away, so the populace of Hogwarts was indoors, studying like mad. This was always the most stressful part of the term, especially for the seventh years. They were either too burnt out from the previous years or too nervous about life as certified witches and wizards. The littlest thing could set them off. Add that to the sweltering heat, and it was enough to drive someone insane.  
  
Which was why Harry Potter was currently as far away from all of the other students as possible. He had been studying for six hours straight, and it was only noon! Needless to say, he needed a break.  
  
He had invited his friends, but no one took him up on his offer. He wondered if they even heard him say he was leaving. Oh well.  
  
So, to escape the madness, he dropped his books and bolted out of there as fast as humanly possible. Oh, he wasn't just running around destination free. He actually had a specific place in mind.  
  
And that was where he currently resided. He was sitting under his favorite tree by the lake, basking in the shade that barely stifled the intense heat waves. His shirt was currently being used as a pillow against the rough bark of the tree, his long, jean-clad legs stretching lazily out in front of him.  
  
He didn't know how long he had been sitting out there. A while, he surmised. But time always seems to slow down when he was in his favorite spot. The absence from the ever-constant chatter helped, too.  
  
So he sat there, just staring out at the lake, the sun reflecting off of its calm surface. There was no wind, only heat, which made him wonder if there was some almighty weather god that was playing a cruel, cruel joke. But the first official day of summer was approaching fast, so he was going to bask in the wonderfulness of having this time all to himself.  
  
Except he didn't.  
  
Hearing a shuffling off to the side, Harry turned his head. A hint of a smile ghosted over his lips at the sight before him.  
  
Draco Malfoy was standing not five feet off to his right. He was also shirtless, beads of sweat forming on the milky white skin of his toned chest. A pair of loose-fitting black pants were slung low on his waist, showing off his perfectly defined abs.  
  
Well, Harry supposed he could share the space.  
  
Waiting patiently for Draco to notice his presence, Harry just sat back and enjoyed the lovely vision in front of him. At this point, the lake was just another background.  
  
When he came to the conclusion that the blonde was not going to notice his presence anytime soon, Harry cleared his throat loudly.  
  
Slowly turning his head, Draco's eyes fell upon Harry. His silver orbs slowly raked over the Gryffindor's form before settling on his face once again. "Potter," he acknowledged finally, drawing out the name as if it took great strength to say it.  
  
"I see you had the same idea as me," Harry nodded toward the school.  
  
His response was an aristocratic snort. "I don't neglect my studies like some miscreants do," he answered pointedly, but not with the same snide attitude that had accompanied his previous cutdowns. But for a long time now, his voice had not contained that inflection that used to light Harry's fire in anger.  
  
Now it lit his fire in other ways.  
  
Ignoring the halfhearted insult, Harry gave a tiny smile as he answered breezily, "Who's avoiding studying? I just wanted to get out of the heat."  
  
"By sitting out in the sun? I knew you were daft, Potter, but this genius really is in a class all its own."  
  
"So says the Slytherin who is also out here," Harry pointed out smugly, inwardly smirking as Draco shot him an irritated look but didn't argue. Taking on a pleasant tone, Harry gestured to the ground beside him. "Pull up some grass."  
  
Draco eyed the ravenhead scrutinizingly, almost as if waiting for a scathing remark. Receiving none, he just shrugged and gracefully plopped down on the grass next to Harry, leaning back against the tree.  
  
They sat there for a while, not speaking. Harry found the entire situation quite amusing. After all, it wasn't every day that he and Draco Malfoy were civilized to each other. More than that, though, he didn't believe he had ever seen the Slytherin without an absolutely impeccable appearance. And now here he was, shirtless, hair sticking damply to his forehead, sweat practically rolling off of his well-toned body...  
  
Oh yeah, Harry loved this weather.  
  
When he glanced over at Draco, he saw that the blonde's eyes were closed. This gave him free reign to ogle the Slytherin. And ogle he did. Draco really was beautiful anyway, but to see him out of the norm was almost too much. He longed to tell Draco but held back.  
  
As an idea began to form, an uncharacteristic smirk creeped onto Harry's face. Pulling out his wand and tearing off two blades of grass, he quietly said a spell under his breath and watched in delight its aftereffects. And Draco, poor Draco was unaware that anything was going on.  
  
Until a rather freezing stream of water splashed upon his chest. Giving a startled yelp, Draco's eyes flew open as he leaned forward, glaring at a now laughing Harry. "What the bloody hell is that?" he growled, pointing to the contraption in Harry's hand.  
  
Laughter subsiding into a smile, Harry answered, "It's a water gun. Here; I transfigured you one, also." He held out a dark green plastic gun that sloshed with water, matching the crimson one in his other hand.  
  
Scowl now gone, Draco snatched the gun from Harry. "How does it work?" he asked as he scrutinized every part of it. He pushed down on a little lever and watched in astonishment as a stream of water shot out and hit Harry square in the face.  
  
Harry looked dazed for a moment before he growled loudly. Jumping up, he shouted, "Ok, this means war!"  
  
Dodging a stream of water aimed at his head, Draco scrambled to his feet and dashed off in the opposite direction. He cried out as water hit his bare back. He turned around, firing a retaliation shot and missing, then turned back around and ran off.  
  
Harry trailed behind, sending off shots but none making contact. Draco really had sensational dodging skills. But Harry's were better...  
  
With a burst of speed, he took off toward the blonde. This made Draco speed up, but Harry was gaining on him.  
  
Noticing this, Draco veered off away from the trees and down toward the lake, which was probably a stupid move. He shot at Harry over his shoulder until he ran out of water. Then he tossed the gun and kept on going, now on the lake's sandy shore.  
  
He was almost there... Just a little bit further... With a giant leap, Harry tackled Draco to the ground. The momentum sent them tumbling down the bank until they landed in the water with a splash.  
  
Draco was lying on the wet sand, body halfway in the water. His chest rose and fell with his rapid breaths as his eyes stared straight up at Harry, who was leaning over him.  
  
Eyes locked with silver, Harry reached down and smoothed a strand of damp hair off of Draco's forehead. The blonde was silent, unmoving, but his lips curved up ever so slightly at the corners, visible to Harry only because he was studying Draco so intently.  
  
Swooping down, Harry's lips gently brushed across Draco's. As the Slytherin began to respond, Harry's eyes fluttered shut as he kissed back, passion rumbling through his veins.  
  
By this time, Harry was lying beside Draco in the sand, both dirty and soaked but neither caring. The surroundings were forgotten as their bodies pressed tightly against one another.  
  
Pulling away finally, Harry's eyes searched Draco's for any sign of disdain or regret. All he received was a smile and another mind-melting kiss, which he avidly returned.  
  
Finally releasing the blonde, Harry stood and helped Draco to his feet. The two were really dirty now, as clumps of sand stuck to their pants and skin.  
  
"Love you hair," Harry commented as Draco tried to rake the sand out of his blonde locks, to no avail.  
  
Throwing the Gryffindor a dirty look, Draco finally gave up and said with a sniff, "Well, whose fault was that?"  
  
"Oh, I take complete responsibility. But you have to admit, it was fun."  
  
"Fun? No." Draco grinned wickedly. "It was hot."  
  
"Yeah, but now we're wet. Want to lay out in the sun and dry off?" Harry asked as they approached the tree where his shirt lay.  
  
Draco made a face. "Why don't you just cast a drying spell?"  
  
Harry sighed impatiently. "That's not as much fun. Besides, I could use the relaxation time. Don't you want to lay out with me?" he teased.  
  
"I burn easily."  
  
Waving a hand dismissively, Harry answered, "We won't be out here long."  
  
"It doesn't take long. I have fair skin," Draco argued. He was obviously not fond of this idea.  
  
With a grin, Harry asked, "How about if I put sunscreen on you?" He watched the blonde contemplate this, already knowing what the outcome would be.  
  
"All right," Draco conceded airily, but the eager gleam in his eyes betrayed his calm answer.  
  
Reaching down into a hole at the base of a tree, Harry pulled out a bottle of sunscreen. At the blonde's curious expression, he explained, "After a couple of hours, I sometimes burn." Settling down into the grass, he patted the ground next to him.  
  
Without hesitation, Draco lay down on the warm grass, taking Harry's offered shirt and using it as a pillow. He shuddered as some of the cool lotion was squirted onto his back.  
  
Hands trailing across pale skin, Harry's fingers began to knead Draco's tense shoulder, delighting in the way that the blonde almost instantly relaxed. His skilled fingers moved over to the other shoulder, repeating the same movements and then traveling lower.  
  
He loved the way his hands glided over Draco's skin, the slow movements covering Draco's entire back with the slick lotion. If this was heaven, then he wanted to die right then and there.  
  
Once Harry had finished with his wonderful application, Draco sat back, resting on his knees. He took the bottle from Harry, squirting a small circle of lotion in his palm. That hand pressed into Harry's lean stomach, trailing up his chest in an ever slow movement. He gave a smile as Harry moaned at the teasing sweeps of Draco's fingers. But Draco wasn't about to give in. He was having too much fun with this slow torture.  
  
Then Harry's back arched, throwing his head back at Draco's touch. His long, tanned column of throat vibrated with each deep swallow, and Draco was mesmerized by this slight movement. Unable to stop himself, he leaned over and pressed his lips to Harry's neck, moist with sweat and water. The almost feral growl from the Gryffindor was enough to make up Draco's mind.  
  
Torture worked both ways.  
  
Unable to take it any longer, Draco removed his hand from Harry's chest and leaned back.  
  
Straightening back up, Harry eyed the blonde questioningly. "Did you want lotion on your chest so you don't burn?"  
  
"No. I don't plan on staying out here that long." He pressed his lips to Harry's, kissing him fiercely. "Come on." He stood, pulling Harry up with him and then dragging him along at a fast pace.  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
Draco flashed a wicked grin. "To go generate some heat of our own."  
  
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Oh, if only they were real... Then they'd be quartered and sold on E-Bay to make merry fans even more merry! Ah, the things we do for a fix... Once again, sorry this chapter was posted later than usual. I just got back from dinner with a friend I haven't seen in 6 months, so I just finished this chapter a few minutes ago. I hope everyone liked it! Or tolerated it. Or anthing. I dunno. Please review! They make me want to frolick in the plush green meadow with my pet unicorn. I love you guys! 


	13. Thanksgiving

Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker  
  
Author: GrapeSmshr  
  
Rated: G to PG-13, depending on the chapter  
  
Coupling: HP/DM slashy goodness  
  
Updates: every Friday.  
  
Summary: H/D *slash* Everyone loves the holidays because love blooms. Each chapter is a different holiday in which Harry and Draco find romance. Thirteenth holiday: Thanksgiving!  
  
A/N: Late update! I know. I just finished this chapter a couple of hours ago. Why did it take so long? To put it bluntly, I didn't feel like writing. Now, don't take it that I'm losing interest, because that is so at the total opposite end of the spectrum of how I'm feeling. I'm just really burnt out right now, what with the holidays on the way, and finals, and I'm getting more hours at work because of all of the Christmas sales... so I've been very, very busy. So busy, in fact, that I've made an executive decision.  
  
I won't be updating for the next couple of weeks. I know, totally not cool. But my first priority is school. I've been slacking these past couple of months, and if I want to make the A's that I need to keep a high GPA, then I need to concentrate fully on school and not have to worry about finishing chapters every week. I'll start posting again once the craziness dies down some. That being said, I apologize profusely for the late update, and I hope everyone understands.  
  
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Holiday 13: Thanksgiving  
  
Rated: PG-13  
  
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"Come back here!"  
  
Harry Potter and Hermione Granger laughed as they watched their redheaded best friend, Ron Weasley, turn around in circles as he searched for his diricawl, which had disappeared in a puff of feathers.  
  
It was another fun-filled Care of Magical Creatures lesson, and the trio was having quite a time looking after the diricawls that Hagrid had assigned them. Except for Ron, that is, whose diricawl would not stop vanishing on him.  
  
"Perhaps he doesn't like you, Ron," Harry suggested through a snort of laughter, earning a glare from Ron and a giggle from Hermione.  
  
"Bloody bird," Ron muttered as it reappeared not two feet from where he was standing. "Right about now I'm missing those flobberworms. They were boring, but at least they didn't run off."  
  
Fortunately for him, the class was just about over. They deposited their diricawls back with Hagrid, bid him goodbye, then began their trek back to the school for their next class.  
  
"Aww, Ron, it wasn't that bad, was it?" Hermione patted him on the arm reassuringly, receiving a scowl in return.  
  
"You can say that because *your* diricawl just sat in your lap and behaved," Ron grumbled as they walked into the school building.  
  
Hermione couldn't very well argue, so she kept silent. Harry, on the other hand, couldn't keep his comments to himself. "Maybe if you hadn't started chasing him around, he would have settled down some."  
  
"Oh, what are you, the ethical treatment of creatures patrol? Not that that's a bad thing," he added quickly when Hermione shot him a withering look. Although she didn't campaign actively, she still held onto her SPEW morals.  
  
"Hey, look, we're at our class," Harry segwayed expertly, drawing their attention away from the inevitable argument.  
  
All three were taking Muggle Studies, which was different this year than normal. Because of the very small amount of seventh-years that had wanted to take it, students from all four Houses were joined together. As it was, there were only twenty students in the class.  
  
The first thing they noticed when they walked in was that the room was completely different in its arrangement. Instead of desks, there were now large counters evenly spaced out, with two stools at each.  
  
"What the..." Ron's eyes scanned the room in absolute confusion.  
  
"Have a seat, and I'll explain everything," Professor Mensch told them as he waved to the classroom. "Your names are at your stations."  
  
"Stations?" Ron wrinkled his nose but did as told, finding his name at a counter in the front of the room. Justin Finch-Fletchley joined him. Hermione was at the station to the right of him, taking a seat next to Pansy Parkinson.  
  
Harry's seat was at the very back. He glanced over to see the name of the person that would be joining him, and he sighed. He really should have known.  
  
Draco Malfoy.  
  
A couple of years ago, if anyone had told him that Draco Malfoy would be taking Muggle Studies, he would have passed out from laughter. But now... It was still pretty unbelievable, and yet he believed it.  
  
The Slytherin had become more mellow after the fall of Voldemort. Harry suspected it was relief at not having to become a Death Eater. He never saw Draco as one to follow orders. Add that to the fact that the blonde's father was now dead, then there was nothing holding Draco to the life he would have led.  
  
Harry noted the changes in Draco's demeanor; how could he not? He was used to almost daily verbal sparring matches, which had lightened to only occasional quips now and again. He quite missed it, actually.  
  
There was just something about Draco that drew Harry to him. It went beyond the fact that Draco was the most gorgeous person in school. No, it was a deeper layer... almost like the blonde was holding himself back from the rest of the world. If there was anything a Malfoy was not, it would be reserved. And yet he was, which intrigued Harry all the more.  
  
His thoughts were interrupted as Professor Mensch began class. "Does anyone know what day it is?" he asked pleasantly, peering at the students.  
  
"It's Thursday," Ernie Macmillan called out.  
  
"I know, I know. I meant more specifically."  
  
All eyes turned to Hermione expectantly. When she only shrugged, half the occupants of the room gasped. Hermione *never* didn't know the answer!  
  
"What? I can't know everything all the time," she snapped.  
  
"Right then," Professor Mensch said quickly. "Today is--"  
  
He was interrupted as Draco burst into the room. He strolled over to the professor and handed him a note. "I was running an errand for Professor Snape," he said breezily, then walked to his seat. He didn't even have to check; he knew his assigned seat was next to Harry. It was only inevitable. "What did I miss?" he asked Harry.  
  
Giving him a strange look, Harry answered, "Nothing yet."  
  
"As I was saying," Professor Mensch continued, "today's class will be a bit different. I thought we would switch gears and learn about another culture. Today in the United States, it is Thanksgiving Day." He proceeded to tell them the history behind the holiday, but he still didn't explain what the new setup was for.  
  
"So today, we will be making a Thanksgiving meal."  
  
"We're cooking?" Pansy screeched. "I don't cook!"  
  
"Today you will," Professor Mensch said calmly. "Each pair will prepare a certain dish. I have taken to pairing one person with at least some cooking experience to someone with... less experience. All of the ingredients should be on your counters. If you need help, I'll be walking around. All right, let's start cooking!" He clapped his hands, and everyone got to work.  
  
Harry turned curious eyes to the recipe that was on the table in front of him. He felt a surge of excitement course through his veins.  
  
"What are we making?" Draco asked, not bothering to look at the paper.  
  
"Apple pie," Harry answered with a lilt to his voice. He was a phenomenal cook, what with his years of child labor for the Dursleys. But he much preferred to bake, especially pies. He had perfected them long ago, and it was something he didn't need a recipe for.  
  
Taking one look at the recipe anyhow, just briefly, Harry mentally planned every step out. He picked up a paring knife, holding it out to Draco. "You peel the apples, and I'll start on the crust."  
  
With those instructions, he immersed himself in the pleasures of baking, not paying attention to Draco. How difficult could it be to peel some apples?  
  
For the blonde, apparently very difficult.  
  
"Uh, Potter?" Draco tapped Harry on the arm, interrupting his sifting.  
  
Harry turned his attention to the blonde, then blinked. Draco had peeled the apple, all right, not to mention slivering the offending piece of fruit into minuscule pieces. He took one look at the mess, then the uncertain frown on Draco's face. It was that look that kept him from laughing. Instead, he picked up the abandoned paring knife and a new apple. "Here, try it this way." Starting at the top, he used the knife to peel the skin off of the apple in one long spiral.  
  
Draco watched Harry's long, nimble fingers as he skillfully shed the apple of its peel. He felt stupid for even thinking this, but watching Harry pay great detail to something as trivial as an apple was insanely sensual. He wondered if the Gryffindor would treat other... things with such care. Draco almost shivered at the thought.  
  
Setting the apple down, Harry handed the knife back to Draco. "Can you handle it from here?" he asked, unaware of the brief twitch of Draco's eye.  
  
"Oh, yes, I can handle things *quite* well," Draco answered smoothly as he plucked another apple from the counter and set to work.  
  
Shaking his head, Harry turned back to the task at hand. Every so often, out of the corner of his eye, he would watch the blonde struggle with the apples as he tried to peel the skin off in one long string, as Harry did. Harry found the entire situation amusing, not to mention adding to Draco's sexiness as the Slytherin concentrated on his job, blowing loose strands of blonde hair out of his eyes. Sexy indeed.  
  
It wasn't long before Harry's pie crust was made and pressed into the pie plate. Now all he needed was to work on the filling...  
  
Taking a deep breath, he snuck a peek over at Draco, then smiled widely. Not only were the apples peeled, but they had been cored and quartered as well. Needless to say, Harry was quite impressed. "Those look great," he complimented, startling the blonde into dropping the last piece of apple. He reached down and deftly caught it before it fell on the floor.  
  
"Nice catch," Draco muttered, cheeks slightly pinking from embarrassment. Clearing his throat, he gestured to the pile of apple pieces. "Now what?"  
  
"Now we put them in the pie shell." They scooped the apples up and filled the pie. Glancing around, Harry told Draco he would be right back. He went over to Ron and Justin, who were making a fruit salad. When he came back, he was carrying a wedge of lemon.  
  
"What is that for?" Draco asked curiously.  
  
"To add some zing to the pie." Harry squeezed the lemon over the pie, the juice dripping off the tips of his fingers.  
  
"But the recipe doesn't say to--"  
  
"Trust me; I've done this before." As Harry finished squeezing the lemon, he tossed it away and then proceeded to lick the juice from his fingers.  
  
Draco watched as Harry slipped each finger into his mouth, licking all of the juice away without making a face. The Slytherin was amazed, not to mention turned on. Extremely. He wondered if Harry was doing this on purpose. It was taking all of his willpower not to jump the ravenhead right then and there.  
  
His little display now over, Harry washed his hands, and he and Draco finished up the pie. Then he slipped it into the oven and returned back to their station to wait.  
  
Draco sat back and let Harry start tidying up. He knew he should be helping, but it was against his nature to clean anything. But Harry, on the other hand, cleaned like he had the practice. "Do this often?" he inquired, genuinely curious.  
  
Still scrubbing, Harry shot Draco a brief quirky smile as he answered, "I was the resident slave to my aunt, uncle, and cousin for ten years before I turned eleven, and then every summer after that. Cooking, cleaning... you name it, I did it." Surprisingly, he said all this with no bitterness inflected in his voice. He had come to accept his past and upbringing, only growing stronger for it. It was a luxury most people in similar positions never achieved, so he was quite lucky.  
  
Looking up, he saw the surprised expression on Draco's face. Wanting to avoid any kind of scene, he changed the subject. "I like to bake. Cook, too. I'm quite good at throwing things together."  
  
Draco nodded. That would be why Harry never looked at the recipe while making the pie. Draco's mind was reeling. There was just so much he didn't know about the Gryffindor, and each discovery surprised him more than the last. To say he was intrigued would be an understatement. He felt this strong desire to not just snog the Boy Wonder senseless (although he wanted to do that, too) but to have a conversation with him, learn everything about him, and not to use against him later. He genuinely wanted to know Harry, and that thought alone almost frightened him. Almost. He was a Malfoy, after all, and he always stepped up to a challenge. "You know, Ha--"  
  
He was cut off as their timer dinged. "Pie's ready." Harry smiled as he picked up an oven mitt to retrieve the pie. When he came back, he was positively beaming.  
  
Their apple pie was steaming from the holes in the woven golden crust, the sweet smell of apples and cinnamon wafting around them. It was obvious that Harry was proud, and Draco was very impressed. And hungry. When would they get to try their food?  
  
Soon after, everyone's dishes were finished. Professor Mensch conjured a long table, where each dish was set. They all took seats around the table.  
  
Much to Harry's surprise and delight, Draco sat down next to him. On Harry's other side, Hermione gave him a questioning look but said nothing. She turned to Ron, who was next to her, but he was too busy drooling at all of the food to be paying attention to seating arrangements.  
  
"All right, everyone," Professor Mensch called from his seat at the head of the table, "this is the part where we go around the table and say what we are thankful for." As he received a few snorts of protest, he said firmly, "We will be thankful, and then we will eat." No snorts this time. "Good. I'll begin. I am thankful for my health, my family, and my current wonderful company." He turned to his left, beaming at a startled Lisa Turpin.  
  
As they went around the table, Harry tuned the others out. What was he thankful for? His friends? His life? The fact that he never had to see the Dursleys again? But then his thoughts switched over to the blonde sitting next to him, and just how sexy he looked when doing something as domestic as cooking. He was definitely thankful for that sexiness.  
  
When it was his turn, Harry glanced discreetly at the Slytherin before saying, "I'm thankful for pared apples."  
  
Hearing this, Draco almost fell out of his chair. He had felt Harry's eyes on him when they were making the pie. Not that Draco minded. But if the ravenhead was going to make a comment like that, so innocent yet so not, then he could, too. "I'm thankful for lemon juice." As Harry whipped his head in Draco's direction in disbelief, the blonde only smirked.  
  
They continued around the table until everyone had expressed his or her thanks, and then Professor Mensch finally told them to dig in.  
  
Plates were piled high with food as each person tried to get a bit of everything. They were excited about trying their own dishes to see how they turned out. Only the pie remained untouched, as it would be saved for dessert.  
  
Taking a bite of spinach casserole, Harry made a face. It was crunchy and tasted like how he would imagine cardboard to taste. It shouldn't have been either of those things.  
  
Apparently Ron shared his thoughts. "Yuck! This spinach casserole is terrible!"  
  
"Mr. Weasley! That is quite uncalled for!" Professor Mensch reprimanded the redhead. "Not everyone has the same tastes. I'm sure lots of people like it." To prove his point, he took a large bite of the casserole. The students watched as his eyes widened a bit. He swallowed, then smiled forcefully. "See? It's not bad."  
  
"Then how come you made that face?" Ron asked defiantly before he was hit in the nose with a dinner roll.  
  
"There's nothing wrong with it!" Lisa snarled as she flicked a spoonful of casserole at Ron. "Here, try some more!"  
  
Narrowing his eyes, Ron said, "If you like it so much, you can have mine!" He scooped the casserole off his plate with his hand and hurled it at Lisa, smacking her in the chest.  
  
There was a brief silence before Ernie screamed, "Food fight!"  
  
As food was launched in every which direction, Harry's panicked eyes fell on their pie, which was as of yet unscathed. "The pie!" he called frantically to Draco.  
  
Leaning forward, Draco snatched the pie just before it was covered with a splatter of potatoes. He jumped up from his seat and ran to the back of the room, Harry not far behind. They watched the food fight for a moment, then turned back to the other. "Shall we?"  
  
Using a charm to levitate over two forks, Harry handed one to Draco. "Dig in," he echoed the earlier words as he scooped up a piece of pit with his fork, popping it into his mouth.  
  
Draco did the same. He closed his eyes as he savored the spice of cinnamon and apple, the flaky pastry practically melting in his mouth and sliding down his throat. Wonderful, absolutely wonderful. Food of the gods.  
  
He was going to tell Harry so when a glob of cranberry sauce hit him in the face. He opened his eyes to see Harry silently laughing at him. As he made to wipe his face, Harry stopped him.  
  
"Allow me." Leaning in, Harry's pink tongue darted out and gently scraped over Draco's cheek, licking the cranberries off. His mouth moved lower, trailing the sticky red sauce across Draco's chin. Then, ever so slowly, he slid his tongue over the blonde's lower lip, his gasp lost as his tongue was sucked into Draco's mouth.  
  
Tasting the cranberry and apple on Harry's tongue, Draco just about whimpered as the Gryffindor returned the kiss with heated fervor, leaving him panting and wanting more of the sweet taste of Harry.  
  
Breaking away, Harry smiled. "I think the Americans had the right idea with this Thanksgiving thing," he said over the shouting at the front of the room.  
  
Grinning wickedly, Draco answered, "Come back over here, and I'll show you just how thankful I am."  
  
"Mmm, Happy Thanksgiving to me," Harry murmured as he gladly accepted Draco's thanks.  
  
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Oh, if only all Thanksgiving holidays could be that wonderful... I had so much fun writing that chapter. I didn't think I would write one for this holiday, but I was inspired when I got into a fight with my mom over making an apple pie. I love getting inspired over trivial things! Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed reading as much as I did writing. Please review! They'll greatly help me through these next few weeks, and I could definitely use some encouraging words. I love you guys! You're so awesome!  
  
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Thanks to:  
  
Lady PhoenixFyre: Hehe, i was hoping to get that reaction...  
  
Maiden of Mystery: I apologize for it not being sooner, but I hope the chapter content makes up for its lateness.  
  
Brad: Oh, it wasn't a holiday. They just needed a break. I'm the same way when studying, although my breaks aren't *nearly* as fun...  
  
wicchick: I'm the same way. Where do these obsessions come from? Is it coded into our DNA or something? Well, whatever it is, I'm not complaining!  
  
Dea Liberty: Aww, happy birthday! (late, I realize, but I try)  
  
BURN THE R.U.M.: I think I spend more time on the endings than the entirety of the chapters... How sad is that?  
  
hieiandkuramalover: I ran out of holidays a long time ago. Luckily everyone has made some really great suggestions. If you have any, please send em my way!  
  
SoulSister: I just had to do that. Can't you just imagine them running around, shirtless and soaking wet? It's the stuff dreams are made of.  
  
Caz Malfoy: Hehe, I think summer brings out the hotness in everything. It's just closer to the surface with those two.  
  
destinywriters: If I could pull them out of the screen, I would've done so a loooooong time ago! Yeah, I realized that with these last few chapters, I've pretty much focused on Harry. I'll try to fix that in the next couple of chapters.  
  
GoddessMoonLady: Yet another one I didn't think of... The beginning of the school year is a good idea... So much potential... ::nods:: Yep, yep, definitely have to do something with that. Thanks!  
  
Sylvia Sylverton: There's nothing better than a dirty Harry and Draco (both literally and figuratively).  
  
soccer-chick250: I think any cute moment between them brings out the voyeur in us all... I feel the same way. What I wouldn't give to see those two together...  
  
onlyHAUNTED: Drooling is always a plus... and inevitable when reading ANYthing involving Harry and Draco...  
  
Moondragon: By all means, join in the frolicking! Charlie (my unicorn) loves the company!  
  
Sweet Sorrow: You're not the first person to express their wishes in wanting more... While I plan on keeping this fic strictly PG-13 and under, I do have a songfic that I'm about to start working on that might go into more... detail...  
  
Starr Light1: Well, sometimes the fake holidays are the fun ones. I mean, Harry and Draco all wet and sweaty? Yum city!  
  
gigabyt: That is a totally great idea! Opposite day! I remember that from my younger years. If we can do it, why can't they? I'll definitely add it to the list. Thanks!  
  
Martha: Your review just made me beam. I'm so happy you're enjoying these! And yes, I do plan on continuing as long as I can come up the holidays!  
  
MedNar: Midwinter's Eve... Gonna have to look that one up, methinks. And nope, wasn't suggested before, so thanks!  
  
Papaya: I know how that goes. Sometimes there's no time to write reviews, let alone long ones. I appreciate the comments, though!  
  
Cat: That is one thing I just won't write. When I read a fic where either of their struggles with their preferences is dominant in the plot, it makes me think that the author may not be so comfortable with it. I dunno, maybe it's just the ones that I've read. But I didn't want any of my fics to come off that way, so I've always avoided the moral issues.  
  
Prongs1: Aww, thanks! It's always nice to hear that someone is enjoying this fic enough to put it on their favorites list. I appreciate it!  
  
Snail: Good point. Besides, I've found that focusing on just British holidays has been a bit... limiting in my ideas. I'm trying to expand as best I can.  
  
Alexis-Greenleaf: I love having water gun fights. Although now that I'm older, I haven't really had one in a while... I'll definitely make a point to have one over the summer.  
  
Lunadeath: Better late than never. And thanks! I have such an eclectic writing style.. I blame it on writing poetry before I started in on fics. And, of course, I've been writing for a good ten years, so I think my writing has improved greatly, to the point where I'm even starting to enjoy reading my own stuff. That's still amazing to me...  
  
incoherent: Your review just made my day. Seriously! I'm so happy you're enjoying this fic so much. That definitely makes me want to write more.  
  
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Thanks to everyone who read and/or reviewed. Until next update! (which, hopefully, won't be more than a couple weeks away) 


	14. Christmas Eve

Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker  
  
Author: GrapeSmshr  
  
Rated: G to PG-13, depending on the chapter  
  
Coupling: HP/DM slashy goodness  
  
Updates: every Friday.  
  
Summary: H/D *slash* Everyone loves the holidays because love blooms. Each chapter is a different holiday in which Harry and Draco find romance. Fourteenth holiday: Christmas Eve!  
  
A/N: Wow. It's almost been a month since I updated last! I apologize profusely for the delay. Well, at least finals are over now, and the holidays just about, so I should have more time to write. I'm not promising that I'll update on time, but I'm going to try my hardest to do so. I'm just working on so many fics at the moment that it's hard to choose which one to write on.  
  
I wanted to post this chapter yesterday, but it wasn't finished. I also wanted to point out that yes, I know I already did Christmas, but this is Christmas Eve. Same concept, different days. Besides, I just love this holiday season!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Holiday 14: Christmas Eve  
  
Rated: PG  
  
  
  
  
  
Making a face, Harry Potter took a cautious step back from Ron Weasley. He didn't want to make any sudden movements for fear of being attacked.  
  
Clucking her tongue in an I-told-you-so manner, Hermione Granger said haughtily, And you just *had* to open Fred and George's gift early, didn't you?"  
  
Her point was well-proven. Apparently the twins knew Ron all too well. When Ron had tried to unwrap his gift, it had swiftly transfigured into a giant fuzzy spider that was currently sitting in his lap. It was taking all of Ron's strength not to pass out.  
  
Raising her wand, Hermione muttered a spell and made the spider vanish into nothing.  
  
Ron promptly fell over on the couch, stunned.  
  
Gazing at his friend sympathetically, Harry was about to help him up when a feathery blur flew past him and smacked into the table. "Errol?" Harry reached the dazed owl and uprighted him, untying a package from his talons. Plucking the note from the package, he read aloud, "Don't open this one until tomorrow, you git." Glancing at Ron, who was now sitting up with an astonished look on his face, Harry burst into a round of laughter.  
  
Joining in, Hermione tugged Ron to his feet, and the three made their way out of the Gryffindor common room and to the Great Hall for lunch. Like the previous winter breaks, there were not many people who stayed at school. This year, both Hermione and Ron had wanted to spend their last Christmas at Hogwarts with Harry, who was grateful to no end.  
  
The three took seats by a group of fifth-year Ravenclaws, then glanced up the table. There were maybe twenty students, a smattering of each of the four Houses.  
  
Helping himself to a plate of rice casserole, Ron grumbled, "Bloody Fred and George, practically giving me a heart attack."  
  
"They anticipated your every move," Harry commented solemnly, shaking his head as he hid a smile.  
  
Hermione, wanting to stifle any more complaints from the redhead, expertly changed the subject. "I wonder what kind of activity Professor Dumbledore will have for us after lunch."  
  
As they found out, though, there were no activities scheduled for that day, which was why the three were back in the common room, lazing about. Hermione was, as usual, reading a rather thick book, while Ron and Harry were playing a game of wizard's chess. The guys were getting antsy, halfheartedly moving their pieces, neither one really winning or caring.  
  
Even Hermione was growing tired of reading, which must have been a first for her. "That's it," she announced, closing her book with an air of finality. She stared at the   
  
guys, who were eyeing her curiously. "It's Christmas Eve! We should be doing something festive."  
  
"Like what?" Ron was more than content with the fact that Dumbledore had more pressing matters than making them participate in his version of Christmassy fun. And if Hermione hadn't looked so psychotically determined, he would have told her so.  
  
At the question, she had to stop and think. She really didn't have anything in mind. Hmm... Then she smiled. "I'll be right back." She dashed upstairs.  
  
"Sometimes she scares me," Ron confessed, to which Harry nodded in wholehearted agreement.  
  
A minute later Hermione came bouncing back down the stairs, holding a stack of white paper and three pairs of scissors. As she handed each of them a pair of scissors and paper, she explained, "We're going to make snowflakes!"  
  
Ron wrinkled his nose in displeasure. "Snowflakes? How girlie!" He instantly winced as Hermione shot him a withering look.  
  
"It's either this or go caroling around the school." She nodded in satisfaction as Ron quickly picked up the paper and scissors. "Now, it's really easy to do. Just fold the paper in half a few times and start cutting out designs. Here, I'll show you." She took a folded sheet of paper and cut out a few triangles on the center fold, then trimmed the edges a bit. When she opened up the paper, it was rounded and had pretty geometric designs cut out of it.  
  
Following her example, the boys got to work. Harry found the task to be oddly therapeutic. He tried to make all of his cuts exactly straight so that the snowflakes would turn out just as wanted them. He took his time, trying to visualize what the paper would look like when it was opened, scrutinizing over each line before he made an incision. He wanted each one to be beautiful.  
  
  
  
  
  
An hour later, he was still making snowflakes. A long while back, Ron and Hermione had quit, telling him that they were going to go for a walk. He had declined their offer to join them, and he kept right on making snowflakes.  
  
Before he knew it, he had about one hundred of them, each one holding different patterns and shapes. They were littered all over the carpet at his feet, on the table, sitting in his lap. He only finally quit when he ran out of paper.  
  
Leaving his snowflakes in their disarray, he decided to try and catch up with his friends. He made his way into the mostly deserted halls, passing an occasional student and stopping briefly to chat before moving on.  
  
Having wasted more time than he wanted, he decided to take a shortcut through a rarely used hallway to get outside faster. As he padded across the cold stone floor, he passed by a room whose door was halfway ajar. Being naturally curious, he peeked his head in.  
  
He was greeted with the sight of Draco Malfoy, who was sitting on the window ledge and staring into the gloomy, pale sky. He was also muttering something to himself.  
  
Taking a few cautious steps forward, Harry strained his ears to hear what the Slytherin was going on about.  
  
"It is Christmas Eve, after all," Draco was saying, a slight hint of annoyance in his voice. "Who ever heard of no snow on Christmas Eve? It''s just not right." While he spoke, he gestured to the sky emphatically.  
  
Having heard enough, Harry snuck back out of the room and started walking in the same direction he had previously come from. Now that he thought about it, it *was* pretty strange that there was no snow for Christmas. He had never defined winter by the weather, but obviously Draco did. And for that reason, Harry decided to try and make the blonde's Christmas better. Idea in mind, he dashed back to Gryffindor tower.  
  
  
  
  
  
Ten minutes later, panting and breathless, Harry was standing back outside of that same room. Draco was still sitting by the window, looking forlorn.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Harry contemplated his idea. He knew it wasn't strictly to cheer up the blonde. That was the inspiration, sure, but not the motive behind the act. No, he was doing this for selfish reasons, being that he had a not-so-little crush on Draco.  
  
Who knew why; he certainly didn't. But he did know that the Slytherin was extremely sexy, smart, charming, and loyal. To the Light, that is. Those all constituted reasons for said crush to form. So if Harry could make Draco happy, even artificially, then Harry would be happy also.  
  
  
  
  
  
As Draco just sat there, he fell into a lull. He had been in the same spot for over an hour, unmoving, just thinking aloud. No sounds except his voice. No interruptions.  
  
Which was why he jumped back when something flew in front of his face and landed delicately on the windowsill he had previously been occupying. Curiously picking up the object, he turned it around in his hand. "What in Merlin's name is this?"  
  
"It's a snowflake," Harry explained as he stepped into the room, startling Draco yet again.  
  
Attempting to sneer at the Gryffindor, Draco's efforts fell flat, so he opted to cross his arms over his chest. He still clutched the snowflake in his hand. "Stalking me, Potter?"  
  
Smiling at Draco's expected response, Harry replied, "Not as such." He shifted the box he was holding from one hip to the other. "But I did accidentally stumble across your presence a few minutes ago."  
  
Having no interest in his explanations, Draco instead focused his attention to the box in Harry's arms. "What's in there?" he nodded to the box, genuinely curious and unable to keep that inflection out of his voice.  
  
"Something to make your Christmas brighter."  
  
Before Draco could question him, harry took out his wand. He opened the lid of the box, muttered a spell, and closed his eyes, mentally crossing his fingers.  
  
A moment later his eyes were open, and he was delighted to see the look of absolute amazement on the blonde's face.  
  
Draco was standing in the middle of the room, watching snowflake after paper snowflake float delicately to the ground, then rise back up to the high ceiling and float back down again. He turned to Harry, wonderment in his eyes. "Why..."  
  
Shrugging, Harry said, "I wanted to make you happy." Then he realized just what he said and his eyes grew wide, box dropping at his feet. "I didn't mean--"  
  
"Didn't you?" Draco asked softly, stepping closer so that they were only a foot apart.  
  
Opening his mouth, Harry couldn't find the words to speak. He must have been crazy! He just as well might have confessed his feelings outright for the blonde. There was no telling what he was thinking. In fact, Draco was--  
  
--Pulling Harry into a kiss. That's what Draco was doing. And Harry wasn't going to complain. Arms swiftly enveloping the blonde, he pulled their bodies closer together as their lips met again and again, growing red and swollen but neither teen willing to retreat.  
  
So they continued kissing, paying no attention to the paper snowflakes around them, nor noticing that on the other side of the window minuscule white flakes had also begun to fall.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
::does a little holiday dance:: Winter holidays are the best. I just love em to pieces. Well, I hope everyone enjoyed this last chapter. I want to thank everyone for being patient with me in my sporadic updates, and especially thank you for reading and/or reviewing. It means the world to me. Until next update! 


	15. Arbor Day

Title: Hook, Line, and Sinker  
  
Author: GrapeSmshr  
  
Rated: G to PG-13, depending on the chapter  
  
Coupling: HP/DM slashy goodness  
  
Summary: H/D *slash* Everyone loves the holidays because love blooms. Each chapter is a different holiday in which Harry and Draco find romance. Fifteenth holiday: Arbor Day!  
  
A/N: It's been a looooong time since I updated. I wish I could blame it on work and school (which did factor in, believe me), but I also just wasn't writing. So I apologize for that. This chapter has been plaguing me for a good month now. I had to do some research and writing and thinking to get it how I wanted. Hopefully I did everything justice, but I'll let you guys be the judges. So, read on and enjoy!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Holiday 15: Arbor Day  
  
Rated: PG  
  
It was one of those rare days when the weather was completely perfect. The sun was out, yet the vibrant azure sky was dotted with clouds. A subtle breeze made their robes wisp around them as they walked over to the greenhouses for Herbology.  
  
"On days like this, I think they should cancel classes," Ron Weasley declared to his two best friends as they approached the greenhouse. "It's just too nice to be indoors."  
  
"Which is why we will be working outside today, Mister Weasley," Professor Sprout broke in as the group of three entered the greenhouse.  
  
Exchanging curious glances with Hermione Granger and Ron, Harry Potter led the way over to their respective seats, where the three had been working all year side by side.  
  
Each had decided to keep Herbology as an elective for their last year, just as a fun class amidst all of the other classes chosen for their actual career choices. Not too many people chose this class in their seventh year, so it was an interspersing of students from all four Houses. Remarkably, a few Slytherins were also present. But each House got along very well. While there was the occasional mild spat, most of the time the air between them was civil.  
  
Settling into his seat, Harry's eyes were drawn to the door, where a certain Slytherin had just entered the room.  
  
Draco Malfoy, followed by Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson. But Harry didn't focus on the other two; he rarely did. No, his attention was drawn to the fair-skinned teen who was currently taking a seat next to Harry, where he had freely chosen to sit at the beginning of the year.  
  
This proximity of their bodies was what bothered Harry the most. Oh, he was definitely not disappointed by the fact that he got to sit next to the Slytherin teen three times a week. It was the fact that Draco had intentionally sat down next to him--Harry--out of his own free will, and with no ill intent, it seemed. It gave Harry a fleeting suspicion that the blonde may actually harbor some sort of feelings for him. He wished there was a way for him to tell with certainty.  
  
Before he could further contemplate this, Professor Sprout clapped her hands together to signal the start of class.  
  
"Today, in celebration of Arbor Day, we will be working outside," she said as she went around the room and set a somewhat large spherical green seed wrapped in plastic in front of each person. "Now, this is an individual project, but you will be working on the same plot as the person you are sitting next to."  
  
When she said this, Harry's eyes immediately strayed to Draco. He was surprised to see gray eyes staring back at him. He had expected Draco to want to work with Blaise, who sat on the other side of the blonde.  
  
"Looks like it's you and me, Potter," Draco said casually, picking up the seed in front of him and inspecting it. Out of the corner of his eyes, he glanced over at Harry, his mouth curving ever so subtly into a smile that was gone half a second later.  
  
Once all of the packages were passed out, Professor Sprout announced, "In each of those bundles is a seed that you will be planting. But these are not just ordinary seeds. Before you plant them, you will be using an incantation that will extract a copy of your personality and seal it into the seed. Then we will plant them. We will be having a special class tomorrow morning"--several people groaned, as tomorrow was Saturday--"and will see what kinds of trees grew in accordance with your personalities." She then proceeded to demonstrate the incantation they were using, giving them the go ahead to unwrap their seeds from the plastic and charm them.  
  
With the familiar swish of his wand, Harry said the incantation and practically jumped out of his seat as a tiny yellow ball of energy shot out from his chest and landed on the seed, where it flashed one more time before being absorbed. He quickly glanced around the room and sighed in relief as he saw similar happenings with his classmates.  
  
"Now then, let's head outside," Professor Sprout called out as the last student finished the incantation. Taking the lead, she was obediently followed by the students, who were clutching their enchanted seeds and talking excitedly.  
  
They were led out past the last greenhouse to a strip of land that was marked off in large square sections. Each plot had two shovels and a large plastic bag--of what, they couldn't tell.  
  
Their instructions were to dig a hole a designated distance into the ground, then add some of the Magical Speed Growers dirt from the plastic bags. Professor Sprout assigned each pair of students a plot, warning them not to plant their seeds too close, or they wouldn't grow at all because the magical seeds would cancel each other out.  
  
Trekking over to their assigned plot, Harry and Draco looked at each other, then at the surrounding groups, who had begun to dig. Shrugging, Harry grabbed a shovel and attacked the dirt. After a moment he glanced up to see Draco eyeing the other shovel skeptically. "Oh, come on. Even Malfoys aren't above a little menial labor."  
  
Scoffing, Draco retorted, "Some of us have had decent upbringings, leaving labor to the laborers." But he picked up the shovel--very reluctantly--and began to dig.  
  
Rolling his eyes, Harry continued on with his own digging.  
  
After a good five minutes, he finally dug a hole that he was satisfied with. He plucked the seed from his pocket and gingerly dropped it into the hole, then covered it up with the magical dirt.  
  
Draco had just finished digging and had dropped the seed. He made a face at the bag of magical dirt in his hands, not wanting to have to ruin his shoes by stomping on the dirt. They were new, after all.  
  
"Oh, give me that." Harry grabbed the bag of dirt from Draco and buried the seed, stomping on the mound a bit roughly for good measure. "There." He dropped the bag and turned away. "What a girl," he grumbled under his breath.  
  
Not long after, the bell sounded to signal the end of class. Professor Sprout gave them their time to meet the next morning, then dismissed the eager students for their lunch period.  
  
Wiping his hands on the front of his robes, Harry nodded briefly to Draco before turning to meet up with Ron and Hermione.  
  
"Potter? Thanks."  
  
Harry paused briefly at the blonde's words. A smile played at the corners of his mouth as he walked away.  
  
Joining the two, they made their way to the Great Hall for lunch. Between bites of food, all the trio could talk about was what they thought their trees would be.  
  
"Mine had better be good. If I ended up with a girlie tree like a willow, I think I'd have to hex myself into unconsciousness," Ron said matter-of-factly, making a face.  
  
"Actually, I think the willow would be good for you, Ron," Hermione answered, to which she received a glare. Promptly ignoring it, she explained, "Willows represent a certain dreamer's quality and refreshing honesty. Besides, willows also tend to represent attractiveness."  
  
When she said this, Ron's entire face turned red as he stared in openmouthed shock at Hermione. Harry snorted into his glass of pumpkin juice.  
  
"So, Harry, what about you? What do you think your tree will be?"  
  
Fork stopping halfway to his mouth, Harry contemplated this. He finally answered, "I'll just be happy if anything grows. I'm not exactly Mister Personality, you know." He continued eating.  
  
Hermione couldn't believe her ears. Harry really believed he had no personality? How dense could one person be? She didn't get cross with Harry all that often, but this was one of those proverbial extenuating circumstances. "How can you say you have no personality?" she exploded, slamming her hands down on the table and startling many of their fellow diners. "You're smart, funny, charismatic... You have an entire fan club! Not to mention--"  
  
"Has anyone told you that you're quite beautiful when you're angry?" Harry interrupted smoothly with a dazzling smile.  
  
Effectively abandoning her tirade, Hermione found herself at a loss for words. That comment was just so unexpected, so blatantly *Harry*. All she could do was stare at him dumbly.  
  
Regarding her imposed bout of quietude, Harry only rolled his eyes and said, "Relax. You know I don't fish from that pond."  
  
"Honestly, Hermione, making such a big deal over a simple comment," Ron scoffed, shoveling a forkful of food into his mouth.  
  
"Ron's right. Besides, you'd be much more appreciated by a willow."  
  
Sucking up his food in shock, Ron immediately began choking. He fell into a coughing fit as Harry thumped him rather forcefully on the back until the offending bit of food had been swallowed.  
  
Rising from his seat, Harry gave his friends one last quirky grin before announcing, "I'm heading over to the library. Meet you in the common room later." Taking his leave, he ambled down the mostly deserted halls towards the library.  
  
Being a seventh-year was grand. Every Friday saw only morning classes, as there was an implemented "study day" for the afternoons. And Harry had used his Friday afternoons quite wisely, all right: studying his Quidditch books, studying the best move during a game of wizard's chess, studying his former enemy...  
  
The latter one was by far his favorite. It was like a hobby of his. Some days he found himself actively seeking Draco out so he could stare at the blonde. Indiscriminately, of course. But on those occasions when Harry happened to be caught staring, sparks flew. Not verbal or physical sparks, but the kind that originated deep from the fire-burning pits of stomachs and spread like unrelenting streams of lava through the rest of the body until the heat became so intense that passing out was a definite possibility...  
  
Harry lived for those moments.  
  
Settling into a table at the back of the library, Harry pulled out his Charms books and a scroll of parchment. He had every intention of getting some work done. But instead of starting his essay, he began drawing the sketchy outline of a tree. Before long, there were textured lines and large, heart-shaped leaves that covered most of the drawing. Harry was quite pleased. Staring off into space, his mind wandered over what his tree could be. He really couldn't wait for tomorrow.  
  
As the seat in front of him was pulled out and occupied, Harry leaned back into his own seat, surprised. He found himself once again blessed with the blonde's presence.  
  
"Is that how you get your work done, Potter? No wonder you're always so productive," Draco quipped lightly as he regarded the flustered Gryffindor with amusement.  
  
Shaking his head, Harry answered, "I was thinking about Herbology tomorrow, about what kind of tree mine will turn out as."  
  
Draco couldn't help but snicker. Leave it to Harry and his Gryffindor-ish personality. He himself really hadn't given much thought to what he would find in the morning. Unable to resist such an opportune moment for a comeback, he asked, "Hmm, does naïveté grow on trees?"  
  
"I don't know; do ferrets?" Harry smiled casually, gathering his books together and standing up. "See you in the morning, Malfoy." And then he was walking away.  
  
Watching Harry until he was gone, Draco turned his attention to the abandoned scroll of parchment on the table. Interest piqued, he plucked up the parchment, eyes raking over the simple yet beautiful sketch.  
  
He wondered what kind of tree it was. It didn't look familiar to him. The details were lacking the grace of a skilled artist, but the drawing had this certain charm, this certain air of Harry.  
  
For the first time ever, Draco found himself looking forward to Herbology.  
  
The next morning, the class was waiting somewhat impatiently for Professor Sprout to lead them over to their tree plots. Sensing their anxiety and excitement, she cut her lecture short and allowed them to go see their trees.  
  
As they approached the plots, she informed them that they would go from plot to plot as a class so she could tell the students what their respective trees represented.  
  
The first plot belonged to Ron and Hermione. Bidding them forward, Professor Sprout had them stand by their trees, which towered over them. Both Gryffindors had grins of anticipation.  
  
Hermione's tree, which was identified as an olive tree, was rooted from wisdom, which was a shock to no one. This was fueled by her characteristic love for reading and intelligent conversation, cheerful personality, sense of justice, and her blatant dislike for violence. At this explanation, Hermione held a smug expression. She knew her tree would be a good one!  
  
While his tree was slightly shorter than Hermione's, Ron's fig tree was still impressive. Rooted in sensibility, the fig tree represented independence and a love for life. While it did tend to show a like for idleness (Harry and Hermione snickered at this). it was overshadowed by a great intelligence. When Ron heard this, he was quite surprised but immediately plastered a knowing grin on.  
  
Moving onto the next plot, Pansy and Blaise stepped forward. Everyone perked up at this; Slytherins weren't exactly the most open people, so they were quite eager to learn something about them.  
  
Pansy's tree needed no identification, as it was modestly spotted with vibrant crimson apples. Everyone was shocked to find that the apple tree was rooted in love, which seemed quite uncharacteristic of any Slytherin. Her other traits included flirtatiousness, charisma, imagination, and generosity. Pansy, apparently, was thrilled with hearing this, if her current dancing around gleefully was anything to be judged by.  
  
Moving onto Blaise, his tree was identified as a fir, which was mysterious in nature. That suited Blaise quite well, as he rarely was one to show emotion of any kind. Besides mystery, there was also sophistication, stubbornness, ambition, modesty, and reliability. True to his tree's characteristics, Blaise took the information in stride.  
  
As they made their way to the next plot, Harry could no longer curb his curiosity at waiting to look at his own tree. Glancing back into the further plots, his eyes fell upon the area in which he and Draco had been working the morning before. What he saw made him gasp loudly, drawing the attention of the class to him.  
  
"What is it, Mister Potter?" Professor Sprout inquired as she approached him.  
  
"Our plot--the tree," he managed to make out before running in the direction of his plot. He stopped in front of the massive tree, unable to tear his eyes away. He didn't move when Draco stood beside him, nor did he acknowledge the collective gasps of the other students.  
  
"Oh, my," Professor Sprout said in an awed voice. It was unlike anything she had ever seen.  
  
Off to the left, a somewhat small tree trunk was rooted, giving way to smooth bark that twisted and curled to the right. Off to the right of the plot, a large tree trunk sprouted up into a tower that curled to the left. About ten feet up, the two trees met and melded into one, the two different grains of wood dancing around and weaving in-between one another in a flourish of lush green leaves and sturdy branches. The distance from the two trunks was maybe five feet. There was an archway between the two trees, and the spot where they were fused dipped downward slightly, almost forming a curious heart shape.  
  
"I--I don't know what to think," Professor Sprout murmured to herself. "I've never seen two personality trees do this before. Ever." She circled around the anomaly, quite fascinated. "Each one still has its own characteristics, but it's like they were drawn to one another during the growing process."  
  
Interrupting the woman's thoughtful mumbling, Hermione asked, "Professor? What kinds of trees are they?"  
  
Circling around to meet them, Professor Sprout laid a hand on the thick trunk of the tree on the right. "This tree is Mister Potter's," she said with a smile. "It's an oak tree, which is the epitome of strength and power." She glanced at Harry, amused by his flushed face. "The oak represents courage and independence, not to mention a certain disregard for the rules and a need to act. There is also a need for the familiar and a dislike for change. Ironically, the oak is known for often being struck by lightning."  
  
All eyes were immediately on the famous scar on Harry's forehead, and he quite wanted to bury himself in some of that magical dirt.  
  
"Mister Malfoy's tree is the ash," Professor Sprout continued loudly, trying to draw the attention away from Harry. "It is rooted in ambition, partnered by impulsiveness, demanding, intelligence, and a disregard for criticism." A couple of students snickered at this but were quickly muted when Draco glared at them. "There is also an air of trust and reliability and a tendency to take partnership very seriously."  
  
As she said this, Harry's gaze fell upon Draco, who was staring back defiantly. They were silent, unmoving, but so many different emotions fluttered over their eyes and were gone as swiftly as they appeared.  
  
"I must go research this," Professor Sprout said, then dismissed the class until later that afternoon.  
  
Approaching their friend, Ron and Hermione were still awed by the hybrid tree. "You always have to be the different one," Ron teased, no hint of jealousy present.  
  
"It really is quite beautiful," Hermione agreed. Lowering her voice, she added, "You know, the trees probably melded together because the two personalities in them were overpowered by their compatibility. Just a thought."  
  
Thumping Harry on the shoulder with a grin, Ron took Hermione's elbow and steered her away with the others.  
  
After a moment, Harry turned around to face Draco, whom he knew was still standing there. "So much for ferrets," he joked.  
  
"Hmm." Draco appeared lost in thought. His mouth opened as if to say something, but his lips quickly pursed together before any words could escape. Finally he glanced up at Harry.  
  
As the blonde said nothing, Harry supplied, "Who would've guessed that you never cared for criticism? I know I wouldn't have."  
  
Lips almost curling upward, Draco all too quickly remembered that he didn't do smiles. Oh, what the hell. He found himself smiling pleasantly at the Gryffindor. "Don't forget my ambition," he added, unconsciously taking a step closer to Harry.  
  
"Oh, never. Or your demanding personality."  
  
"Or my impulsiveness." Another step closer.  
  
"Or your taking partnership seriously..." Harry's voice trailed off as Draco stood directly in front of him, eyes locked and quickly darkening.  
  
"Especially not that," Draco murmured as one hand crept up to gently encircle Harry's forearm, pulling the teen closer. Their breaths intermingled, mouths mere millimeters apart. And then their lips met, awkward and comfortable and hot and so much more. Draco's free hand tangled itself in Harry's robes as Harry leaned into the Slytherin, effectively losing himself in the contact.  
  
With one last kiss, Draco murmured against Harry's lips, "Very seriously." Then he pulled back slightly, grinning. "So, do you still dislike change?"  
  
Comically pondering this a moment, Harry laughed as Draco smacked his chest playfully. "Well, I think I'm beginning to see that sometimes change can be a good thing."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
I'm such a tree lover. I am quite the advocate of paper saving and rainforest awareness and all that jazz. I've actually been wanting to do this holiday for a while, but I knew I'd have to do some good research, so I left it for later. I'm so happy I finally got to write it!  
  
Now, for the unhappy news. I will no longer be able to update once a week. Yes, I love this fic to pieces, I absolutely do. But it took two months for me to get these last two chapters out! I just need a break. NO, I am not abandoning this fic! I am just not going to have current updates. I just can't. Plus I'm working on so many other fics right now. I have a songfic that I've been working on since last May that I want to finish. I have a short, slightly angsty fic that I want to finish. On top of those, I also have another songfic idea that I'm just *itching* to get started on, not to mention an epic, highly angsty fic I started a while back to. Oh, and a fluffy one-shot also. See? Lots of stuff! Plus I'm running out of holidays that I don't have to research. I just don't have the time right now to do the research.  
  
So here are my thoughts. If you are from a different culture and have some wonderful/insane holidays that you'd love to share, please e-mail me with dates and details. That way I can cut out on some of the research and enrich everyone else with multicultural holiday chapters. I would greatly appreciate this!  
  
I was going to reply to all of the reviews from last chapter, but I just spent the last two hours typing up this chapter, then typing up a looooong assignment for Criminology. So I apologize. But I love you guys! Please review! I could desperately use some motivation right now, not only for this fic but for my others as well. I seriously want to get some of these posted! Thanks so much for reading! 


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